Shaw and Mainoo face late fitness tests as Sesko ruled out for United's trip to Leeds

Luke Shaw and Kobbie Mainoo will face late fitness tests before Manchester United’s Premier League trip to Leeds on Sunday, with manager Michael Carrick also confirming that Benjamin Sesko is still unavailable as the club assesses the full extent of his injury.

Both Shaw and Mainoo picked up knocks during the defeat to Tottenham and subsequently missed United’s Champions League loss to Atletico Madrid in midweek. Neither is guaranteed to return at Elland Road. In Shaw’s absence, 19-year-old Ayden Heaven became the fourth player to start at left-back in just nine games this season, while new signings Andrey Santos, Carlos Baleba and Youri Tielemans started together in midfield for the first time.

Sesko’s situation is more concerning. The striker has not featured since the Carabao Cup defeat to Brighton, having suffered a recurrence of the shin injury that kept him out for nearly four months over the summer. Carrick indicated the club is still gathering information before committing to a timeline on his return.

“We’ll see on Luke and Kobbie,” Carrick said. “Benjamin’s kind of still undergoing a couple of checks — before we update on timelines or everything, we’re just trying to be clear with what that looks like. He’s still a little bit further away, but when we know a little bit more, we’ll let you know.”

Carrick heads to Yorkshire with United winless in five games, a run that has piled pressure on the interim manager. Leeds, meanwhile, have made a strong start to the season under Daniel Farke, and Carrick was generous in his assessment of what United will face.

“I think Daniel’s done a fantastic job,” Carrick said. “From the start of last season and the run that they’ve gone on, the consistency, the way they play — I think they’ve turned into a really, really good Premier League team, and credit to Daniel and his staff and the players for that.”

Carrick also acknowledged the weight of the fixture itself, a rivalry steeped in history between two of English football’s most storied clubs. “It’s a great rivalry, there’s big history between the football clubs, between the areas. You’ve got to embrace the history, you’ve got to embrace what it means — and that’s what makes them special.”

It is just over ten months since United drew 1-1 at Elland Road in what proved to be Ruben Amorim’s final match in charge, adding another layer of context to a fixture that already carries considerable emotional charge for both sets of supporters.