Baleba and De Ligt Near United Returns as Dorgu Doubt Emerges
Carlos Baleba is in contention for his Manchester United debut against Tottenham after featuring in a behind-closed-doors friendly, while Matthijs de Ligt is closing in on a first-team return - but Patrick Dorgu has withdrawn from Denmark duty injured.
Published 4 Oct 20262 min read
Manchester United head into the Premier League’s resumption against Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford on 10 October with their injury news pointing in both directions. Summer signing Carlos Baleba is closing in on his debut, and Matthijs de Ligt is edging towards a first-team return - but the international break has left Patrick Dorgu and Noussair Mazraoui as fresh concerns.
Baleba closes in on his debut
The midfielder, who joined from Brighton for a reported £70 million, is yet to make his first appearance for the club. He returned to the squad for the draw against Fulham as an unused substitute, and stepped up his recovery by featuring in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Lausanne-Sport at Carrington on Friday. He is now in contention to face Tottenham.
De Ligt’s long road back
De Ligt missed the run-in last season with a back injury that required surgery, and his absence has been felt again this term, with United conceding eight goals in five Premier League games. Reports this week say the Dutchman trained with the first team, featured in the friendly against Lausanne-Sport, and could be on the bench for the Champions League fixtures against Atlético Madrid or Como in the coming weeks. Tyrone Marshall of the Manchester Evening News reports the defender is expected to be among the substitutes soon rather than later.
The concerns: Dorgu, Mazraoui and Sesko
The break has not been without worries. Patrick Dorgu was substituted half an hour into Denmark’s clash with Wales and has withdrawn from the squad for the remainder of the international window. Noussair Mazraoui had to be substituted during Morocco’s win over Lesotho on Tuesday, with the severity of his injury still unknown. Benjamin Sesko, who missed pre-season through injury, withdrew from the Slovenia squad after being taken off in the second half of the Carabao Cup tie against Brighton, saying on Instagram that his focus is on recovering “as soon as possible to help both the national team and my club”.
Elsewhere, Amad is targeting a return against Tottenham after missing the season so far, Kobie Mainoo and Marcus Rashford withdrew from international duty, and Manuel Ugarte, Karl Darlow and Tom Heaton remain unavailable. For Michael Carrick, the Tottenham game is becoming a balancing act: a debut for Baleba, a bench place for De Ligt and a defence patched around the doubts.