Manchester United will look to take another huge step towards Champions League qualification when they play Brentford next Monday.
Man United beat Chelsea 1-0 at the weekend, bouncing back from defeat to Leeds and are well placed to seal a return to Europe’s top table for next season.
In further good news for Man Utd, Kobbie Mainoo returned to the side after missing out against Leeds and appears to have come through the Chelsea game unscathed which will serve as a boost for Michael Carrick.
The United head coach was forced to name a makeshift central defensive pairing of Ayden Heaven and Noussair Mazraoui at Stamford Bridge after losing Leny Yoro to injury prior to making the trip to London.
Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martinez were also absent through suspension, though the former will be available against Brentford as Man Utd seek revenge for defeat at the Gtech Community Stadium earlier in the season.
With that in mind, here’s the latest Manchester United injury news and potential return dates...
Leny Yoro
Man United’s injury crisis deepened on the eve of the Chelsea game as Yoro was unable to feature because of injury.
“Hopefully it’s only [a] small [issue] but he’s obviously not ready for tonight,” Carrick said before kick-off at Stamford Bridge.
“It’s part of football, you know. We’ve got a pretty good squad, in terms of injuries really. There’s Leny, there’s Matthijs, who’s out for a bit longer, and there’s Patrick [Dorgu].
“It’s the two suspensions so all of a sudden there’s less options at centre-back. We can adapt and we can make the most of it.
“It’s an important game tonight, so we’ll get ready for that.”
Potential return date: Monday April 27, vs Brentford (H)
Matthijs de Ligt
Matthijs de Ligt’s has now been sidelined for almost five months to the date.
The Dutch central defender suffered a lower back injury as United beat Crystal Palace 2-1 on November 30, with then-manager Ruben Amorim initially promising a swift comeback.
However, he is yet to return to full first team training as he remains in rehabilitation.
Carrick has previously raised concerns that De Ligt will miss the remainder of the season and potentially this summer’s World Cup.
Potential return date: Unknown
Patrick Dorgu
Patrick Dorgu was in fine form during Michael Carrick's first two games, impressing off the left and scoring a stunning goal a 3-2 win over Arsenal which was on the back of netting in the Manchester derby.
However, the outing at the Emirates Stadium ended on a sour note as he pulled his hamstring while chasing after a ball over the top and was ruled out for at least ten weeks.
There had been hope that Dorgu could have in contention to return against Leeds or Chelsea, but Carrick has revealed a comeback is not imminent.
“He’s going well, he's rehabbing well, he's kind of on track, but he’s not with us in terms of training yet,” Carrick said before the Chelsea game.
“But he's back on the pitch, as I've already said, so that's positive, that he's doing really well.
Potential return date: May
