Martinez, Heaven and Shaw doubts deepen Manchester United's defensive crisis before Como trip

Manchester United face a significant defensive injury crisis ahead of their Champions League trip to Como on Wednesday, with Lisandro Martinez, Ayden Heaven and Luke Shaw all absent from training at Carrington on Tuesday morning.

Martinez was forced off at half-time in United’s match against Leeds with a knock, while Heaven missed that game entirely through illness — the same complaints that kept both players away from the training pitch. Luke Shaw, who had returned to play the full 90 minutes in United’s 1-1 draw with Tottenham at Old Trafford, picked up a knock in that match and has not featured in United’s last two games since.

The absences leave interim manager Michael Carrick with a threadbare centre-back pool. If Martinez and Heaven are ruled out, Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt would be the only senior options in that position. De Ligt has only recently returned from back surgery and has not played since 30 November, making his involvement a significant risk.

The situation at full-back is similarly stretched. Patrick Dorgu remains a longer-term absentee after withdrawing from international duty, meaning Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui could be the only fit senior full-backs available. Academy players Harry Amass and Jaydan Kamason, both full-backs, trained with the first-team group on Tuesday, as did young centre-back Dan Armer, suggesting Carrick may be forced to lean on youth.

Leny Yoro adds to the defensive headache through suspension, ruling him out of the Como fixture entirely.

United will make a late decision on which players travel to Italy. The club has maintained a policy of not publicly confirming their travelling squad for away Champions League games this season, but Carrick is scheduled to address the media in Como alongside midfielder Andrey Santos, where he is expected to provide an update on the injury situation.