Manchester United are without a handful of players as they prepare to travel to Fulham for their second game of the new Premier League campaign.
Ruben Amorim’s side lost 1-0 to Arsenal at Old Trafford on the opening weekend, with Riccardo Calafiori scoring the winner on 13 minutes from a corner.
Deputy goalkeeper Altay Bayindir was put under the microscope as many believed that he was at fault for the Gunners’ goal, although Amorim and United captain Bruno Fernandes defended the Turkish shot-stopper, claiming that he had been unfairly blocked off by William Saliba.
A few key names missed out on the matchday squad for the visit of Arsenal last time out, but will any return at Craven Cottage?
Andre Onana
Perhaps the biggest omission from the squad, although fairly understandable considering that the Cameroonian had had just four training sessions since his recovery from injury.
Amorim had said that he was available to play, and seemed to imply that Onana had been dropped from the squad, before clarifying his position.
“He recovered," Amorim told MUTV when asked if Onana was still injured.
"But the other guys [Bayindir and Tom Heaton] did so well during pre-season, so I need to balance that.”
In his post-match press conference, Amorim said that he did not drop Onana.
"No, no, no, I didn’t drop Onana from the squad,” he said.
“I didn’t drop one of the other two from the squad. So it’s not the case of dropping Onana, it’s not putting Onana with just one week [of training], without seeing a game, without time with training. Tom and Altay during pre-season, they did a good job."
Potential return date: Fulham (a) on Sunday, August 24, 2025
Rasmus Hojlund
Another innocuous omission from the 20-man squad, the Danish striker is being heavily linked with a move away from Old Trafford.
Reports claim that United are keen to sell the striker after the arrival of Benjamin Sesko, and it is believed that AC Milan are trying to sign Hojlund.
New arrival Matheus Cunha started up front against Arsenal, before Sesko stepped off the bench to take the No9 berth, with Cunha moving back into a No10 position.
Joshua Zirkzee, returning from injury himself, was an unused substitute.
Amorim said after the Arsenal defeat that Hojlund, 22, could still be an option, and was not selected due to “a fight for the places”.
“We’ll see what is going to happen on the market, different characteristics.
“So Rasmus has the same characteristics of Sesko, so sometimes we need to choose."
Potential return date: Fulham (a) on Sunday, August 24, 2025
Noussair Mazraoui
The Moroccan defender has not featured since United’s first pre-season friendly, where he played 45 minutes in a 0-0 draw with Leeds.
Since then, he has been sidelined with a thigh problem, which has been a real blow for United. He played 57 times in all competitions last term.
Amorim revealed that Mazraoui would not be able to return against Arsenal. In all likelihood, we could see the former Ajax man return towards the end of the month.
Potential return date: Burnley (h) on Saturday, August 30, 2025
Lisandro Martinez
The Argentine is United’s sole long-term absentee, still recovering from the ACL tear he suffered against Crystal Palace in February.
Although he has stepped up his rehabilitation, it is unlikely we see him before either international break this autumn.
Potential return date: Brighton (h) on Saturday, October 25, 2025
