Manchester United's Injury Updates: De Ligt, Mount, Sesko
Manchester United are one game away from the real thing. AC Milan in the final pre-season outing today, Hull City away in the Premier League curtain-raiser next week. Michael Carrick’s priority now is simple: get through Milan without adding another name to an already awkward injury list.
Several key players are racing the clock. Others are nowhere near it.
Here’s where United stand with seven days to go.
Matthijs de Ligt – long road back
Injury: Back
Last appearance: November
Possible return: Unknown
Matthijs de Ligt hasn’t pulled on a United shirt since November. Back surgery ended his season early and turned his summer into rehab rather than reset.
There is progress. He’s back on the grass, back with the group, and travelled to the Republic of Ireland for this week’s training camp. That’s a significant step for any defender coming off back surgery.
But there’s still no timeline. No pencilled-in game. No target date. For now, Carrick knows he will start the season without his marquee centre-back fully available, and any return will be handled with extreme caution.
Tom Heaton – innocuous strain, serious outcome
Injury: Hamstring
Sustained: vs PSG in Gothenburg
Possible return: Everton, September 6
Tom Heaton’s problem looked minor in real time. A tweak against PSG in Gothenburg, a routine substitution, Dermot Mee coming on without any alarm.
The scans told a different story.
As revealed in Notebook this week, the veteran goalkeeper faces at least a few weeks out. He will learn the full extent of the damage next weekend, but the early expectation is that he will miss the start of the league campaign and likely be targeting the home clash with Everton on September 6 for a return.
For a squad already juggling fitness issues, even a back-up goalkeeper’s absence complicates planning.
Mason Mount – scare, then a setback
Injury: Foot
Sustained: vs PSG
Possible return: Hull, August 22 (squad, not XI)
When Mason Mount went off inside 20 minutes against PSG, alarm bells rang. A new signing, a non-contact issue, and a limp off the pitch in pre-season is the stuff managers dread.
Relief came quickly. Mount was later seen leaving the stadium walking freely, with no obvious limp. The worst-case scenarios were quickly parked.
Yet the knock has lingered. Mount missed the friendly against Leeds and has not been included in the squad to face AC Milan. That means no more pre-season minutes and, crucially, no chance of him being match-ready to start at Hull.
The hope at Carrington is that he recovers in time to make the bench at the MKM Stadium. A starting place is off the table; a cameo, if all goes well this week, is still on it.
Benjamin Sesko – star striker stuck on the sidelines
Injury: Shin
Sustained: vs Liverpool in early May
Possible return: Ipswich, August 30
Benjamin Sesko’s summer has never really started. The Slovenian forward has not played a single minute of pre-season as he continues to recover from the shin injury he suffered in the win over Liverpool in early May.
The internal plan, as Notebook reported earlier in the summer, was for Sesko to feature in one of United’s later friendlies, easing him back in before the serious stuff began. His omission from the squad to face AC Milan shows that target has already slipped.
The knock-on effect is clear. Bryan Mbeumo is now virtually guaranteed to start at Hull, with Sesko lacking sharpness and rhythm. Given how long he has been out, it’s hard to make a case for him even making the travelling squad for the opener.
More realistic? A place in the group to face Ipswich on August 30, if his recovery finally accelerates.
Manuel Ugarte – the long, painful wait
Injury: Knee ligament
Sustained: Uruguay vs Spain, World Cup
Possible return: 2027
Manuel Ugarte’s situation sits in a different category altogether. The midfielder left the pitch on a stretcher during Uruguay’s World Cup defeat to Spain in June, suffering what he himself called “the most serious injury a footballer can face”.
His own words on social media told the story of the blow: a huge match, a huge moment, and a brutal end. Ugarte spoke about hitting “rock bottom” and needing to start again every time you fall.
United know they will be without him for a very long time. The projected return date is 2027. For Carrick, this is not just an injury to manage; it’s a medium-term squad-building problem that shapes transfer and tactical decisions for seasons, not weeks.
Karl Darlow – mystery issue, low concern
Injury: Unknown
Possible return: Not specified
Karl Darlow has yet to appear in a pre-season squad since signing for United. He has been working through a pre-existing issue, but the club do not view it as serious.
Details are sparse. There is no formal diagnosis in the public domain and no fixed return date. Inside the camp, though, there is no sense of alarm. United expect him to be available once his conditioning and recovery are complete.
One week, one priority
Carrick’s final pre-season selection against AC Milan will be shaped as much by medical bulletins as tactics. De Ligt is edging back but still uncertain, Mount is likely to be eased in from the bench at best, Sesko is targeting Ipswich rather than Hull, Heaton is out for weeks, Ugarte for years, and Darlow is in limbo but not in crisis.
Seven days from kick-off, United’s season plan already has to bend around the treatment room. How much more it will have to flex may depend on what happens over 90 minutes against Milan today.
