Manchester United host Sabah FK in the Champions League tonight aiming for three points on their return to Europe’s top competition
Manchester United welcome Azerbaijani side Sabah FK to Old Trafford this evening for their Champions League opener. United enter the game as heavy favourites despite entering this competition for the first time since the 2023/24 season. Their opponents Sabah were founded in 2017 and defied all the odds to reach this stage.
While Michael Carrick’s side is expected to win comfortably, they won’t be underestimating their opponents. Carrick will be looking to field a strong line-up tonight, albeit conscious of the impending derby against Manchester City on Sunday.
United do have a handful of fitness concerns heading into the game that could impact Carrick’s selection calls. With this in mind, MEN Sport has taken a look at the latest injury news ahead of today’s game.
Luke Shaw
Injury: Fatigue
Shaw did not feature in training on Wednesday, ahead of tonight’s game. In his pre-match press conference, Carrick explained the left-back’s absence. “We just gave him an extra recovery day today, Luke,” the boss said. “So, obviously we’ll see by tomorrow how he is, but it’s not an ongoing thing or a plan or anything like that. It was just off the back of the game the other day.
“So, as normal, each individual has kind of different little things that we manage, and Luke was one of them today.”
Potential return date: September 10 vs Sabah FK or September 13 vs Manchester City
Marcus Rashford
Injury: Unknown
After a good performance against Everton, Rashford was replaced on 70 minutes. Carrick confirmed after the game that Rashford ‘felt something’ and thus was replaced as a precaution. Rashford trained on Wednesday and is expected to be fit for tonight’s game.
Potential return date: September 10 vs Sabah FK
Carlos Baleba
Injury: Ankle
Baleba picked up an ankle issue during pre-season with Brighton & Hove Albion. This has prevented him from making his United debut so far. The defensive midfielder was given a return date of 2-3 weeks during Carrick’s press conference at the end of August. He did not feature in training at Carrington on Wednesday.
Potential return date: September 16 vs Brighton
Amad
Injury: Unknown
Prior to the opening day defeat to Hull City, Amad picked up an injury that has kept him out since. Carrick has mentioned that the Ivorian is in a race to be fit before the international break.
Potential return date: September 20 vs Fulham
Matthijs de Ligt
Injury: Back
De Ligt has been missing since the victory over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park in November. What started as a minor injury has gradually evolved into something more serious. In May, he was forced to undergo surgery to correct the issue in his back. Recently, De Ligt has been on the grass again with his teammates but was absent from the training squad on Wednesday.
Potential return date: October 10 vs Tottenham Hotspur
Tom Heaton
Injury: Hamstring
Heaton picked up a hamstring injury while clearing the ball against Paris Saint-Germain in pre-season. He has been absent since and there has been no clear information as to when he may return to the side.
Potential return date: Unknown
Manuel Ugarte
Injury: Knee
The United midfielder is the furthest away from a return after suffering a knee ligament tear during the World Cup. He is not expected to be back before the year’s end.
Potential return date: 2027
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