Manchester United have been handed an injury boost ahead of the return of the Premier League, with summer signing Carlos Baleba stepping up his recovery during the international break. United face Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford on Saturday 10 October (5.30pm kick-off).
Baleba closes in on debut
The midfielder, who joined from Brighton for £70 million, is yet to make his debut for the club. He returned to the squad for the draw against Fulham but was an unused substitute. Baleba featured in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Lausanne-Sport at Carrington on Friday, and is now in contention to face Tottenham.
Fresh injury concerns
The break has not been without worries. Patrick Dorgu was substituted just half an hour into Denmark's clash with Wales last week and has withdrawn from the squad for the rest of the international break. Noussair Mazraoui had to be substituted in Morocco's win over Lesotho on Tuesday, with the severity of his injury still unknown.
Benjamin Sesko missed all of pre-season due to injury. He started the Carabao Cup clash against Brighton but was taken off in the second half and subsequently withdrew from the Slovenia squad. In a statement on Instagram, he said: "I am very sorry that I will have to miss the national team's upcoming matches. I have always played for Slovenia - and always will - with heart and pride. Right now, the most important thing is to focus fully on my recovery. I am already working on getting back on the pitch as soon as possible to help both the national team and my club once again."
Return dates and other absentees
Amad, who has yet to feature this season due to an injury suffered on the eve of the Premier League opener against Hull City, is also targeting a return against Tottenham. Kobie Mainoo and Marcus Rashford withdrew from international duty, with Rashford having been taken off during the draw against Fulham. Manuel Ugarte suffered a knee ligament injury while representing Uruguay at the World Cup this summer. Karl Darlow is unavailable after undergoing a minor procedure, while Tom Heaton has a hamstring injury. Matthijs de Ligt continues to work his way back from a back injury.
