‘Very close’: Long-term United absentees step up recoveries as timeframes for their returns now revealed

As was the case throughout the entirety of last season, Erik ten Hag is now navigating numerous injury woes at Manchester United.

With the Red Devils back in action this Saturday, Ten Hag is confirmed to be navigating a lengthy absentee list, with Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia, Leny Yoro, Noussair Mazraoui and Harry Maguire all expected to be unavailable for the forthcoming fixtures.

There are also questions as to whether Amad Diallo, Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo will be fully fit to start, as the youthful trio all withdrew from international duty to return to Carrington. Overnight, Manuel Ugarte was forced off after 82 minutes of Uruguay’s 0-0 draw with Ecuador, so fans will likely hear more about the Reds’ statuses when Ten Hag addresses the press later this week.

On a more positive note, Mason Mount is tipped to return to training imminently. He sustained both a knock and a head injury during the 3-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur and will hope this is the final layoff in what’s been a torrid beginning to his United tenure.

Yoro and Malacia nearing long-awaited returns

Today, Dutch outlet Voetbal International broke the news that Malacia is now ‘very close’ to being available for selection.

He has endured a turbulent 17 months of setbacks when trying to rehabilitate from a serious knee injury. The left-back suffered the issue on the final day of the 2022/2023 term, which led to him missing all of last season and the beginning of 2024/2025. There are hopes that he could be ready to play by the end of October.

As for his defensive counterpart Yoro, the teenager, who United forked out £52 million for in July, fractured his metatarsal in just his second non-competitive outing for the club during the pre-season tour. The Frenchman underwent successful surgery to correct the issue, but it did mean that his Red Devils debut was delayed.

Ben Jacobs has since revealed that Yoro is progressing well in his recovery and is aiming to make himself available by the mid-November international break.