Kobbie Mainoo is available for Manchester United's Premier League match at Chelsea on Saturday, but Benjamin Sesko will be sidelined until 2027 and Luke Shaw remains out, leaving head coach Michael Carrick with a depleted squad at Stamford Bridge.
Carrick goes into the early kick-off under pressure after heavy defeats to Como and Bournemouth last week. Following crisis talks on Monday, he was handed a reprieve and kept his job until Saturday at least. Lisandro Martinez and Ayden Heaven returned to the team against Bournemouth, but several other players are still dealing with fitness issues.
Mainoo Returns to Training
Mainoo has recovered from a muscular problem and returned to training at Carrington this week. In his press conference on Thursday, Carrick said: "Good news, Kobbie's done a little bit of training yesterday, so he's back in and around the group, so that's obviously a positive." His potential return date is October 31 against Chelsea.
Sesko, however, is out with a persistent shin injury that has kept him sidelined for most of the season. It was confirmed earlier this week that the striker would be out until 2027 as he recovers. Carrick added: "Yeah, unfortunately Ben looks like he's going to be out for a period of time. We're still not clear of exactly how long, but it's going to be for a longer period of time."
Shaw and Rashford Sidelined
Carrick confirmed earlier this month that Shaw would be out longer than Mainoo. Shaw did not return to training this week, suggesting he will be out until at least next month, with a potential return in November.
Marcus Rashford missed the trip to Como with a hip issue and did not feature in training this week. He was not mentioned during the press conference, with a potential return date of November 3 against AS Roma.
Dorgu and Ugarte Absent
Patrick Dorgu picked up a thigh injury during a UEFA Nations League outing with Denmark and is not expected back until November at the earliest. Manuel Ugarte remains absent after suffering a serious knee injury while representing Uruguay at the World Cup, and is in a race against the clock to be fit again before the end of the season, with a potential return in 2027.
