Manchester United are preparing for Ruben Amorim’s first match in charge as the new manager sweats on a number of his squad.
Amorim begins his new era at Old Trafford this Sunday at Ipswich Town, before facing Arsenal, Manchester City and Tottenham before Christmas.
His predecessor Erik ten Hag often juggled a long list of injuries and the new manager will hope to have better luck on the fitness front, starting with his defence.
With Amorim’s first match fast approaching, here’s all the latest Manchester United injury news and potential return dates.
Lisandro Martinez
Lisandro Martinez suffered a knock in the 3-0 win over Leicester and was subsequently sent home from international duty with Argentina with what was described as a back problem.
“We didn’t expect Lisandro’s case,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said.
“We saw that he had been hit in the back, but apparently he had no problem, just some pain. When he got here the pain got a little worse, he had some tests done and is not fit to be here. »
Martinez will have been assessed on his return to Manchester and an update will be expected when Amorim faces the media for the first time on Friday ahead of the trip to Ipswich.
Potential return date: Unknown
Lény Yoro
The £52million summer signing from Lille is yet to play a competitive match for the club after fracturing his foot against Arsenal during their pre-season tour of the United States. He underwent surgery and is expected to be out for about three months.
Yoro is now fully fit after working hard on his return since then and gradually increasing his workload, and was this week taken out of an under-21 squad to face Altrincham – hinting at a possible involvement against Ipswich.
Potential return date: Sunday November 24, against Ipswich
Kobbie Mainoo
Kobbie Mainoo has not played for United since the goalless draw at Aston Villa in early October after suffering a muscle injury.
The England midfielder was expected to miss “a few weeks” of action, with Van Nistelrooy revealing before the win over Leicester that he was progressing but was yet to return to team training.
“Kobbie is also progressing with his injury, he is taking the right steps, but is not yet in the team. It takes a little more time,” the Dutchman said of Mainoo.
A return against Ipswich seems unlikely for Mainoo if he has not yet returned to group training, so perhaps the Europa League visit of Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt to Old Trafford on November 28 for the Amorim’s first home game might be a more realistic goal as things stand.
After that, United face back-to-back Premier League matches against Everton and Arsenal to kick off a busy December.
Potential return date: Thursday November 28, vs Bodo/Glimt
Luke Shaw
Luke Shaw last played for United in February, having recovered from a lengthy hamstring injury to play for England at Euro 2024 before suffering a calf problem early in the season. pre-season training.
His attempts to return have been difficult, with multiple delays and expected returns after the international breaks in September and October were unsuccessful.
Ten Hag confirmed shortly before his sacking last month that Shaw had suffered a setback by expressing the need to be “very careful” with his return, while Van Nistelrooy said earlier in November that the left-back was currently undergoing a fieldwork at Carrington with the hope of returning to partial team training soon.
It looks like Amorim will probably have to wait a bit before Shaw is fit and available for him.
Potential return date: December
Harry Maguire
Like Mainoo, his England teammate Harry Maguire was also injured in a goalless draw at Villa Park in early October which gave a brief period of respite to ten Hag, under fire.
He had to be helped off the field at half-time and later confirmed a calf problem which he said would keep him out for “a few weeks”.
Van Nistelrooy said before the win over Leicester that Maguire was still working on his rehabilitation indoors, suggesting his return to action was still some way off.
Potential return date: December
Victor Lindelof
Victor Lindelof joined fellow defenders Martinez, Maguire and Shaw in the treatment room after limping during the first half of Sweden’s win over Slovakia in Stockholm on Saturday.
The severity of what has been reported as a hamstring injury is yet to be determined, with Lindelof likely to be assessed by United doctors in the coming days.
Potential return date: Unknown
Tyrell Malacia
We have to go back to the final day of the 2022/23 Premier League season for Tyrell Malacia’s final senior appearance in a United shirt, with an 18-month injury spell forcing him to undergo two separate operations for a troublesome knee problem .
However, the versatile Dutch defender is finally closing in on a return to first-team football after playing 45 minutes for the Under-21s in their defeat to Huddersfield in the EFL Trophy last week.
Like Yoro, Malacia could finally make his return to the United team for Amorim’s first game in charge at Portman Road this weekend.
Potential return date: Sunday October 24, against Ipswich