Sesko doubt and 10 more injury concerns cloud Man United's return against Spurs

Manchester United host Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday in a Premier League clash that sees both sides desperate for points, but manager Michael Carrick must navigate an injury list of at least 11 players heading into the fixture at Old Trafford.

Benjamin Sesko is the most pressing concern. The centre-forward did not travel for United’s last league outing at Fulham and subsequently withdrew from the Slovenia squad during the international break. A flare-up of the shin injury that has troubled him since May continues to be a worry, and his absence from a behind-closed-doors friendly against Lausanne-Sport makes him a doubt for Saturday.

Matthijs de Ligt’s long road back from a back injury is progressing more encouragingly. The centre-back has been sidelined for 10 months after requiring surgery in May, but he did travel with the squad to Craven Cottage — albeit not entering the stadium, which was always the plan rather than a sign of a setback. De Ligt is expected to be available from the bench for one of United’s upcoming Champions League fixtures against Atletico Madrid or Como.

Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo both withdrew from their respective international squads, though neither issue is believed to be serious at this stage and both could feature against Spurs. Carlos Baleba, who has been managing an ankle injury sustained during pre-season at Brighton, has already played his first minutes for the club in the Lausanne-Sport friendly and is expected to be involved on Saturday.

Amad Diallo has been absent since picking up an injury before United’s opening fixture against Hull and has not featured since. Carrick expressed hope that the winger could return in time for the Tottenham game, but his availability remains uncertain.

Further concern arrived from the international break, with Patrick Dorgu appearing to sustain a hamstring injury while on duty — adding to a growing list that will test Carrick’s squad depth as United look to find consistency after a mixed start to the season.

Tottenham arrive at Old Trafford in equally troubled form, sitting bottom of the Premier League without a win from their opening five games. Both clubs will view Saturday’s fixture as a near-essential opportunity to arrest their early-season struggles.