Carrick sweats on Shaw and Mainoo as United face Leeds with 10 players sidelined

Michael Carrick faces a mounting injury crisis as Manchester United travel to Elland Road to face Leeds, with up to 10 players potentially unavailable across both squads and seven of those in United colours.

Carrick’s most pressing concerns centre on left-back Luke Shaw and midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, both of whom are doubts for the weekend fixture. Without Shaw, Diogo Dalot was forced to fill in at left-back against Atletico Madrid, with teenager Ayden Heaven covering on the opposite flank — an indication of how stretched United’s options have become.

Noussair Mazraoui is edging closer to a return and could provide some relief in the full-back areas. “Hopefully, we’ve got Nous back involved with us,” Carrick said. “He’s done a little bit of training, so he’ll be back around the group, which is a good step in the right direction for us.” Patrick Dorgu, however, remains out for several more weeks.

United will also be without a recognised striker for at least another week, with summer signing Benjamin Sesko still unavailable. Carrick offered little clarity on a return date. “Ben is kind of still undergoing a couple of checks before we update on timelines,” he explained. “He’s still a little bit further away, but when we know, we’ll let you know.”

Long-term absentees Manuel Ugarte and goalkeeper Tom Heaton also remain sidelined, further limiting Carrick’s options as he attempts to arrest a run of five games without a win.

Leeds manager Daniel Farke has fewer injury headaches but is monitoring winger Dan James, who missed around 10 days with a back problem and only returned to training recently. “Right now, we have to wait how his body reacts,” Farke said. “But at least good news with him — he seems to be improved.”

Defender Joe Rodon is approaching the end of a 10-week injury lay-off but will not feature against United. “We are right now on week seven, so he is edging closer,” Farke confirmed. “It won’t be too long until he is back in team training.” Striker Mateo Joseph also remains absent as he continues his recovery from an ACL injury.