Manchester United are gearing up for Ruben Amorim’s first match in charge of the club as the new manager sweats over a number of his squad.
Amorim kicks off his new era at Old Trafford this Sunday at Ipswich Town, before taking on the likes of Arsenal, Manchester City and Tottenham before Christmas.
Predecessor Erik ten Hag often juggled a long injury list and the new manager will hope to have better luck on the fitness front, start with his defence.
As Amorim’s first game fast approaches, here is all the latest Manchester United injury news and prospective 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 due to what was described as a back problem.
“We didn’t expect the case of Lisandro,” said Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni.
“We saw that he had suffered a blow to his back, but apparently, he had no problem, just pain. When he arrived here, the pain increased a bit, he underwent tests and is not fit to be here.”
Martinez will have been assessed upon 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
Leny Yoro
The £52million summer signing from Lille has yet to play a competitive game for the club after sustaining a fractured foot against Arsenal on their pre-season tour of the United States. He underwent surgery and was expected to be sidelined for approximately three months.
Yoro is now understood to be fully fit after working hard on his comeback since and gradually increasing his workload, and was this week withdrawn from an Under-21s squad to face Altrincham – hinting at a possible involvement against Ipswich.
Potential return date: Sunday November 24, vs 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 making progress but had not yet returned to team training.
“Kobbie is also progressing in his injury, he’s making the right steps, but is not yet with the team, though. That needs a bit more time,” the Dutchman said of Mainoo.
A return against Ipswich looks unlikely for Mainoo if he has yet to resume group training, so maybe the Europa League visit of Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt to Old Trafford on November 28 for Amorim’s first home match may be a more realistic goal as things stand.
After that, United face back-to-back Premier League matches in quick succession 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 back in February, having recovered from a long-running hamstring injury to feature for England at Euro 2024 before then sustaining a calf issue early on in pre-season training.
His attempts to return have been difficult, with multiple delays and expected returns after both the September and October international breaks not coming to fruition.
Ten Hag confirmed shortly before his sacking last month that Shaw had suffered a setback as he expressed the need to be “very careful” with his return, while Van Nistelrooy said earlier in November that the left-back was now doing pitch work at Carrington with the hope of returning to partial team training soon.
It looks like Amorim is likely to have to wait a little while before he has Shaw fit and available to him.
Potential return date: December
Harry Maguire
Like Mainoo, England team-mate Harry Maguire was also injured during that goalless draw at Villa Park in early October that handed the under-fire Ten Hag a brief period of respite.
He had to be helped off the pitch at half-time and subsequently confirmed a calf problem that he expected to 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 remains a while away yet.
Potential return date: December
Victor Lindelof
Victor Lindelof has joined fellow defenders Martinez, Maguire and Shaw in the treatment room after limping off in the first half of Sweden’s Nations League win over Slovakia in Stockholm on Saturday.
The severity of what was reported as a hamstring injury has yet to be determined, with Lindelof likely to be assessed by United medics in the coming days.
Potential return date: Unknown
Tyrell Malacia
You have to go all the way back to the final day of the 2022/23 Premier League season for Tyrell Malacia’s last senior appearance in a United shirt, with 18 months of injury hell seeing him need two separate operations on a troublesome knee problem.
However, the versatile Dutch defender is now finally closing in on a return to first-team football having completed 45 minutes for the Under-21s in their defeat by Huddersfield in the EFL Trophy last week.
Like Yoro, Malacia could finally make his return to the United squad for Amorim’s first game in charge at Portman Road at the weekend.
Potential return date: Sunday October 24, vs Ipswich
