United host Brighton in Carabao Cup with up to 15 players sidelined through injury

Manchester United face Brighton at Old Trafford on Wednesday in the Carabao Cup third round, with interim manager Michael Carrick managing an injury list that could rule out as many as 15 players across both squads.

United arrive at the tie on the back of a 1-0 Premier League defeat to Manchester City in the weekend’s derby, and Carrick confirmed several absences will carry over into the cup fixture.

Luke Shaw missed the City defeat and remains a doubt, though Carrick suggested a return is possible. “He could possibly be fit for Brighton, but it’s not clear-cut,” Carrick told reporters on Tuesday. “It’s a matter of a few days rather than anything else.”

Carlos Baleba, the midfielder signed from Brighton during the summer, has yet to feature this season after picking up an ankle injury during his time with the Seagulls. Carrick indicated he is nearing a return but will not be available against his former club. “He’ll be back in and around the group at some point over the next week or so,” Carrick said. “After the internationals, he should be in good shape.”

Amad Diallo and Matthijs de Ligt are also working their way back to fitness. Amad sustained his injury before the season began, while De Ligt has been sidelined with a back problem since last November. “Amad, not quite close in terms of days, but we’ll see as the week progresses,” Carrick said. “Matta’s just working his way back, really, so because of the time frame and how it’s been, I don’t really want to put too much of a time frame on it.” Manuel Ugarte and goalkeeper Tom Heaton are also unavailable.

Brighton arrive at Old Trafford with their own lengthy absentee list. Striker Stefanos Tzimas suffered a setback in his recovery from a muscle injury, according to Seagulls boss Fabian Hurzeler. Yankuba Minteh and Evan Ferguson remain long-term absentees with no return date in sight. Kaoru Mitoma, Jack Hinshelwood and Mats Wieffer are all progressing in their recoveries but are not expected back until after the international break.