Manchester United beat Chelsea 1-0 at the weekend to bounce back from defeat to Leeds and boost their hopes of Champions League qualification. Kobbie Mainoo returned to the side after missing the Leeds game and came through unscathed.
Manager Michael Carrick was forced to field a makeshift central defensive pairing of Ayden Heaven and Noussair Mazraoui at Stamford Bridge after Leny Yoro was ruled out with an injury on the eve of the match. “Hopefully it’s only small,” Carrick said. Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martinez were absent through suspension but Maguire will be available against Brentford on Monday.
Matthijs de Ligt has been sidelined for almost five months with a lower back injury sustained in November. He remains in rehabilitation and Carrick has expressed concerns that he could miss the rest of the season and potentially this summer’s World Cup.
Patrick Dorgu, who impressed with goals against Arsenal and Manchester City, pulled his hamstring in the win at Arsenal and has been ruled out for at least ten weeks. Carrick confirmed Dorgu is back on the pitch but not yet training with the first team.
