Manchester United are now back in the Champions League, but their return to Europe's elite competition will have to be done without at least five stars
Head Coach Michael Carrick of Manchester United speaks during the press conference one day ahead of the UEFA Champions League 2026/27 League Phase MD1 at Carrington Training Ground on September 09, 2026 in Manchester, England
Michael Carrick spoke to the press ahead of Manchester United's return to the Champions League(Image: 2026 Manchester United FC)
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Michael Carrick is guaranteed to be without five Manchester United stars for the Champions League clash against Sabah - and may be without two more.
Carrick embarks on his first match in the tournament as permanent United boss, five years after he ensured the Reds reached the round of 16 in the competition by beating Villarreal 2-0 in Spain. The tide has changed drastically with Carrick now in charge of United.
However, he will have to guide the Reds to victory over the Azerbaijanis without, at least, five players. The United manager opened up about his side's absentees in his pre-match press conference.
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Beginning with the long-term absentees, Manuel Ugarte will not feature for United until next spring at the earliest as a result of the awful knee injury he suffered during the World Cup. Matthijs de Ligt will also be absent, but Carrick did have an update on the Dutchman's recovery.
Carrick said: "We're still managing him, he's trained well and he's pushing and pushing, but we've got to manage that last stage. He's in a good place and it's great to have him back. Hopefully he will return soon."
Meanwhile, Tom Heaton and Amad are expected to remain on the side-lines due to their respective muscular injuries. When the pair will return remains a huge uncertainty.
Matthijs de Ligt, Joshua Zirkzee of Manchester United in action during a first team training session at Carrington Training Ground on August 25, 2026 in Manchester, England
De Ligt is nearing recovery but is still a long way away(Image: 2026 Manchester United FC)
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Carlos Baleba is still expected to be absent with the ankle injury he suffered in pre-season, before his £70m move from Brighton and Hove Albion. Then there are question marks around Luke Shaw.
He did not take part in this morning's training session, but that's due to him having an extra rest day. Carrick also suggested it will be a late call as to whether he will feature or not, with United facing Manchester City in this weekend's derby also.
On Shaw's absence, the United boss said: "We just gave him an extra recovery day so we'll see by tomorrow how he is but it's not an ongoing thing or a plan. As normal each individual has different things that we manage."
Luke Shaw of Manchester United during the Premier League 2026/27 match between Everton and Manchester United at Hill Dickinson Stadium on September 6, 2026 in Liverpool, United Kingdom
Carrick will make a late call as to whether he will deploy Shaw(Image: 2026 Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA)
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Another United star who has been tormented by injuries is Mason Mount. He made the bench for the 2-2 away draw against Everton but ended the game as an unused substitute.
Whether he will have an opportunity to feature against Sabah remains to be seen. It can perhaps be assumed that, providing there are no injuries between now and kick off, he will at least be in the squad.