Carrick Provides Injury Update as Manchester United Prepares for Hull

Manchester United step into the new Premier League season at Hull City on Saturday with a squad that is slowly, finally, starting to look healthier – but still carrying scars from a bruising summer.

Michael Carrick faced the cameras on Thursday and walked a careful line: optimism about key returns, realism about those who will not be seen for some time.

United’s trip to the MKM Stadium comes just a week after a chaotic 4-2 defeat to Milan in Wroclaw, a friendly that underlined both their attacking potential and their fragility in depth. Several big names were missing that night. Some are back. Some are close. One, in particular, is nowhere near.

Sesko back in the fold

The headline boost is up front.

Benjamin Sesko, absent for the entirety of pre-season, has finally rejoined full training at Carrington. The shin injury that wrecked the end of his debut campaign in early May and forced him out of United’s summer schedule had lingered longer than anyone wanted.

He played through the issue last season before aggravating it in the win over Liverpool at Old Trafford. That gamble caught up with him. Now, the reset.

“Ben [Sesko] is back training, so that's another positive,” Carrick said. “Looking forward to having him back around the group and getting him some minutes as well.”

Minutes. Not just a place on the bench. That will prick the ears of Hull’s analysts.

Darlow steps up as Heaton waits on scan

At the other end of the pitch, the goalkeeping picture has shifted again.

Karl Darlow, signed this summer and yet to make his United debut, has also returned to full training after surgery at the end of last season. He played on for Leeds United until his contract expired, then featured for Wales in early June before the problem sidelined him over the summer.

With Radek Vitek now at Middlesbrough and Tom Heaton injured, United had been leaning on Dermot Mee as cover for Senne Lammens. That was never the long-term plan.

“Karl has trained this week. He's back training, so he's in good shape,” Carrick confirmed.

That update lands just as the club waits for clarity on Heaton. The 40-year-old picked up what looked like a minor knock against Paris Saint-Germain a fortnight ago, only for it to develop into something more serious than first feared.

Heaton is now expected to miss at least a few weeks. Darlow’s timely return means he is likely to be on the bench at Hull, and if the medical staff are satisfied, Mee will step aside.

Ugarte the one long-term casualty

Not everyone is on the comeback trail.

Manuel Ugarte begins the season as United’s only confirmed long-term absentee after knee ligament surgery. The midfielder suffered the injury while representing Uruguay at this summer’s World Cup, a brutal blow just as he was establishing himself on the biggest stage.

The club confirmed the operation went well and stressed that his rehabilitation “will now begin” under the close supervision of United’s medical and performance staff.

Ugarte’s own message was defiant. He thanked Uruguay, Manchester United, his family, friends and the fans for their support and promised: “I'll be back stronger.”

For Carrick, that recovery will run in the background for months. For now, he has to build a midfield without him.

Mount on the brink

Mason Mount sits in the “almost there” category.

A foot injury picked up in the 1-1 draw with PSG in Gothenburg forced him off just 20 minutes into that friendly, Tyler Fletcher coming on in his place. Mount has not featured since, missing the following two matches.

Against Leeds, Andrey Santos and Fletcher started together. Last weekend, Youri Tielemans partnered Santos instead. Carrick has had to shuffle, experiment, improvise.

The wait for Mount may be nearly over.

“We are managing Mason [Mount] a little bit, but he's very close,” Carrick said. “So it's touch-and-go for the weekend, really, if not going into next week.”

Touch-and-go. That phrase tends to set up a late fitness test and a nervous look at the teamsheet an hour before kick-off.

De Ligt back on grass, but not in contention

At centre-back, there is good news with a caveat.

Matthijs de Ligt is training again after back surgery earlier this year, an operation that ruled him out of the final six months of last season. His absence has been long enough to feel like a separate era.

He is back on the grass, back with the group, moving freely. But not yet ready for the cut and thrust of the Premier League.

“Matt [De Ligt] has obviously been out for a long period of time, but he's training and great to have him back,” Carrick explained. “Well, he won't be involved, but he's in good shape and moving in a good direction, so that's really a good bonus for us, really, at this stage, to have him back.”

United will have to wait a little longer to see him in a competitive game. The important part is that the long road is now pointing towards a return, not away from one.

United arrive at Hull with a squad that is not yet complete, but no longer threadbare. Sesko is back. Darlow is ready. Mount is close. De Ligt is edging nearer. Only Ugarte is locked into the long haul.

For a manager starting a new campaign, that blend of relief and frustration is familiar. The question now is simple: can this patched-together version of Manchester United start the season fast enough to still matter when everyone is finally fit?