Man Utd have three players out injured at the moment and none of them are likely to be involved against West Ham tomorrow night.
Matthijs de Ligt is still absent for Manchester United and is unlikely to play again this month(Image: Getty Images)
Mason Mount will be back in contention for Manchester United’s Premier League fixture against Everton in two weeks, but tomorrow’s trip to West Ham is likely to come too soon for the midfielder. Mount picked up a minor injury in training before the win against Fulham and remained absent when United beat Tottenham at Old Trafford on Saturday.
Although Mount is now close to a return, Carrick is reluctant to risk him at the London Stadium as he goes in search of a fifth successive victory.
Matthijs de Ligt faces a race against time to be fit for the trip to Everton as he continues his recovery from a back injury that has now kept him out for more than two months. The Dutch centre-back hasn’t played since United won at Crystal Palace on November 30, when Ruben Amorim initially said his absence would be short-term.
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Carrick insists De Ligt’s recovery is going well, but he is further away from a return to first-team training than Mount and could be a doubt to be back for United’s first visit to the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Monday, February 23.
“Mason will be probably not for Tuesday, probably after, but definitely going into the Everton game he’ll be back,” said Carrick.
“Matthijs, we’ll see how he develops, the Everton game feels like a long time away at the moment, so we’ll see how he develops, but he’s positive, he’s moving in the right direction, but Mason’s a little bit closer than him.”
United will face a West Ham team who have just started to find some form. Although they remain in the relegation zone they have won three of their last four Premier League games and will present a different kind of test for Carrick, who is looking to continue a perfect start since being appointed head coach until the end of the season.
“I think you’ve got to go into the game understanding the situation of both teams,” he said. “We’ve tried to paint that picture to the players in every game we’ve played so far and it’ll be the same come Tuesday night.
“The type of game, the feel of the game, what kind of skills we’re going to have to try and draw on. Different games throw up different things. Teams towards the bottom of the league are really fighting for things, but so are we, and we’ve got a lot to fight for, so you’d like to think that balances out in some ways and it’s who can come out on top at the end of it.”
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Nuno Espirito Santo was under pressure as Hammers boss a month ago but the revival in form includes away wins at Tottenham and Burnley, while they were 2-0 up at Chelsea before losing to an injury-time penalty from Enzo Fernandez.
“There’s a bit of change, I think injuries as well is difficult,” said Carrick. “I think they’re very good on transition, very dangerous, they’ve got some really good attacking players.
“We’ve looked at them already and have an idea of that as they would have done for us. But they’re a threat, and when they get up a head of steam at home, they’re a dangerous team, so definitely got to be ready to cope with all that.”