The latest Manchester United injury news as Michael Carrick’s side gear up to face Everton in the Premier League
Last weekend, Manchester United bounced back from their opening day Premier League defeat to Hull City, with a rousing 5-2 win over newly promoted Ipswich Town at Old Trafford. The game saw the Red Devils comes from a goal behind to seal the big win, with an inspired performance from captain and FPL favourite Bruno Fernandes helping United turn things around.
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The result came before a deathly quiet end to the transfer window for the club, whose only summer signings of note saw them completely revamp their midfield, with three acquisitions in Carlos Baleba, Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos coming in for a total cost of around £150m. There are concerns among fans that they still haven’t solved a glaring weakness at left-back.
With player trading now done and dusted until January, the Red Devils will be fully focused on matters on the field. Next up, they travel to take on an Everton side who are unbeaten so far this season, with an opening day win over Crystal Palace and a draw with Bournemouth getting the campaign off to a solid start. Here’s the latest Man United injury update and potential return dates ahead of their Sunday afternoon clash against the Toffees.
Will Mason Mount play against Everton?
Mason Mount will be eager to put his injury problems behind him this seasonplaceholder image
Mason Mount will be eager to put his injury problems behind him this season | Getty Images
Mason Mount has had a deeply frustrating time at Manchester United, having joined the club looking to take his career to the next level having dragged Chelsea to Champions League glory back in 2021 before the Blues’ fortunes dipped. He’s missed over 70 games through various injuries since moving to Old Trafford in 2023.
That includes the opening two matches of the current campaign. However, he’s now back in training after overcoming a foot injury, and has a decent chance of making the squad to play Everton on Sunday, and potentially picking up some minutes as he looks to regain match fitness ahead of gruelling season that will see United battle in four competitions.
Centre-back Matthjis de Ligt looks likely to be out for a little longer, after suffering a serious back injury last November. He is now involved in some elements of team training, but is being reintroduced slowly by manager Michael Carrick to avoid any needless setbacks. He may well wait until after the international break to bed De Ligt back into the side, and target the 10th October clash against Tottenham Hotspur.
Manuel Ugarte is a more long-term injury concern for United. He suffered an ACL injury during Uruguay’s group stage defeat to Spain amid their dismal World Cup campaign, and won’t be back until at least the spring. His return date all depends on how quickly he progresses in his recovery, but even if it goes well, a comeback before March looks unlikely as things stand.
When will Baleba be fit?
Carlos Baleba was Man United's third and final midfield summer signingplaceholder image
Carlos Baleba was Man United's third and final midfield summer signing | Getty Images
In short: Baleba will not be fit to face Everton. United’s £70m big-money midfield signing from Brighton was already carrying an ankle injury when he signed for the club last month. When Carrick spoke on Baleba’s fitness last week, he estimated that he would be out for a further two-to-three weeks.
Based on that, he could make his United debut after the international break against Spurs. If he’s back sooner, then 20th September against Fulham could just about be on the cards, although it would most likely be restricted to some minutes from the bench as he looks to bed into Carrick’s new-look midfield.
Meanwhile, Amad Traore has missed the first two matches of the season with a foot injury picked up in training. Sunday’s clash against Everton may come too soon for the Ivory Coast international, but he could potentially feature in the Manchester derby a week later in what promises to be another high-octane clash against Man City.
Veteran goalkeeper Tom Heaton picked up a knock during pre-season, and there’s been no word of when he may return. Having made zero Premier League appearances in his past five seasons on the books - as is often the case with homegrown goalkeepers in their twilight of their careers - this shouldn’t be of great concern to the club.