Manchester United face Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday but Michael Carrick’s squad is depleted by injuries.
19:06, 12 Oct 2026Updated 19:26, 12 Oct 2026
Manchester United trained at Carrington before flying to Madrid
Luke Shaw and Kobbie Mainoo have joined the Manchester United injury list after picking up knocks against Tottenham that have ruled them out of the Champions League trip to Atletico Madrid.
Neither Shaw nor Mainoo were spotted in training at Carrington on Monday morning, before the United players departed for the Spanish capital. Both had started the Premier League draw with Tottenham.
Shaw’s absence is particularly problematic, with left-back alternatives Noussair Mazraoui and Patrick Dorgu also on the treatment table at the moment after picking up injuries on international duty.
Benjamin Sesko is also still out, with Carrick refusing to put a timeframe on the Slovenian striker’s absence as the club work out the next steps to deal with a problematic shin injury.
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“They haven’t travelled,” Carrick said of Shaw and Mainoo. “Luke and Kobbie had issues in the game on Saturday, so we’re kind of working through that to see where it, to see what that looks like. At the moment, they’re not ready for the game tomorrow.”
On Sesko, Carrick said: “We’re still waiting during this week to do a few extra tests. We need to be right at the top of it and make sure we keep doing the right things. At this moment, I haven’t really got a better timeframe for it.”
With injuries biting in defence, academy graduate Dan Armer, 18, is part of the travelling squad and is set for a place on the bench at the Metropolitano, while Matthijs de Ligt could be in a matchday squad for the first time since November 2025.
“We’ve got a couple of issues with some players missing out, but we’re definitely not light on numbers,” said Carrick. “I think it’s good for the likes of Dan to be part of it and the young players to sample it in these types of nights, the build-up to the game, being around the group, getting a sense of it, getting a feel for it.
“It’s good to have Matta back in and around it. He’s been out for a long period of time, a little bit of patience with him and working through, but again, for him to be back around it, it’s fantastic. He’s worked so hard to get to this stage, he’s had a long journey, so we’re delighted to have him back.
“I’m definitely comfortable with him playing, of course. I think there is the element of when that time is and how much it is. I think he played a little bit of the Lausanne game, he’s done a fair bit of training, but of course, it’s working our way through it and not too much too soon. But definitely got confidence in him, there’s no doubt about that.”
Carrick cooled fears that captain Bruno Fernandes was playing through a fitness issue. The 32-year-old needed fitness tests to face Manchester City and Fulham before the international break and Portugal boss Jorge Jesus said he had been playing through the pain barrier for his club.
He needed treatment again during the draw with Tottenham, but Carrick said there was no concern over his availability with the schedule becoming more demanding now, with United in the Champions League again this week and next week.
“I’ve seen there’s a lot made of it, he was carrying something,” he said. “I think that’s pretty obvious. It happens a lot, people don’t maybe realise it, but it happens a lot, players play with issues. I probably played 80% of the games with some sort of issue as you go through your career. It’s not ideal, but it’s kind of manageable.
“Some players are able to play with a bit more than or a bit less than others, and Bruno was able to play the games and that’s the commitment that he’s got to do that. So, yeah, he’s pretty much over it, still there slightly, but as I said, I could go through the whole squad pointing at little bits here and there.
“Right now it’s not a major deal, he’s in good shape and he was really bright this morning, looking forward to the game.”