Manchester United have been handed a double boost ahead of Sunday's clash with Fulham, with Luke Shaw and Matthijs De Ligt both travelling, but they remain without an attacker.
Michael Carrick's men head to Craven Cottage for their next Premier League outing, hoping to turn around a poor start to the season that has left them on just four points from four games. The Red Devils have big ambitions this season after landing a top three finish last term, but so far, there has been no evidence to suggest they will even match last season's efforts, albeit it is still very early in the season.
During the week, Carrick's men surrendered a two-goal lead to lose to Brighton at home, although the Seagulls also stuffed Arsenal on Saturday, so that result may not be as bad as it looked.
Fulham won in the cup during the week, but only Coventry City have started worse than them in the Premier League, so pressure is on United to go to Craven Cottage and get a result.
To help matters, both Shaw and De Ligt have been spotted among the travelling squad, according to Stephen Railston, although forward Benjamin Sesko was absent, suggesting he could be a doubt for the game.
Man Utd's next five fixtures
Fulham (A)
Tottenham (H)
Atletico Madrid (A) - Champions League
Leeds United (A)
Como (A) - Champions League
De Ligt has been dealing with a back injury that has kept him out since the summer, so he will be in line for his first minutes should he be available, as has been suggested. Shaw, meanwhile, has played three Premier League games this season, picking up an injury before the Manchester City game. He is now set to return in a big boost for Carrick, who won't have been too impressed with Patrick Dorgu's efforts on the left. United are sorely lacking in left-back options after trying and failing to sign another left-back during the summer window.
Luke Shaw
Luke Shaw
Sesko is said to be dealing with a knee issue, and it had already been suggested that he was expected to withdraw from international duty with Slovenia due to the issue, so it won't come as a major surprise if he is to miss this game.
Carrick will have Matheus Cunha, and Joshua Zirkzee as his main striker options in the absence of Sesko, while Marcus Rashford and Bryan Mbeumo can also do a job in the centre-forward role if required. Zirkzee came on for Sesko in the Brighton game during the week, which could be an indication of Carrick's thinking, while Cunha came on for Rashford out wide.
JJ Gabriel
JJ Gabriel