Manchester United’s season continues to lurch from one setback to the next, with barely a match passing lately without a fresh selection headache for Michael Carrick.
Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Fulham extended United’s winless run to three Premier League games, with Matheus Cunha’s deflected late strike rescuing a point at Craven Cottage.
That result followed hot on the heels of Wednesday’s Carabao Cup exit against Brighton, where United threw away a 2-0 lead, and last weekend’s controversial derby defeat to ten-man Manchester City.
Gary Neville went as far as branding United’s second-half display against Fulham the worst he had seen from the club in more than 45 years of watching them.
Amid the results, injuries have continued to pile up at exactly the wrong moment for Carrick, with two more players now facing fresh fitness concerns just as the international break approaches.
Manchester United duo to pull out of England duty
Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo are doubts for England after fresh injury concerns emerged following United’s draw at Fulham.
Both players have been called up by Thomas Tuchel for the Three Lions’ Nations League fixtures this month and next, but David Ornstein of The Athletic reports that all three of Rashford, Kobbie Mainoo and Cole Palmer are set to withdraw from the squad entirely.
Rashford was withdrawn during Sunday’s match, replaced by Joshua Zirkzee, with United boss Michael Carrick saying afterwards, “We had to bring him off as he had a bit of an issue.”
Asked if the forward was alright, Carrick replied, “I’m not sure.”
His hip issue has reportedly been managed by the club since the World Cup, adding to the sense that his withdrawal from England duty had been anticipated for some time.
Kobbie Mainoo, who played 80 minutes before being replaced by Mason Mount, is also believed to be carrying a fresh injury following the Fulham draw.
The 21-year-old had been hoping to finally get some minutes on the international stage after remaining an unused substitute throughout England’s run to the World Cup semi-finals this summer.
Tuchel has previously admitted it hurt him not to use Mainoo at the tournament, revealing the midfielder had been due to feature against France in the third-place play-off before suffering an injury in the build-up to that match.
England begin their Nations League campaign against world champions Spain at Wembley on Saturday, before facing Czechia and Croatia during the same international window.
Carrick will now have to manage both players’ recovery carefully over the coming fortnight, with United hosting Tottenham once the break concludes and in desperate need of a response to a run that has yielded just one win in five matches across all competitions.