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Injury news during international breaks almost always spells trouble for club sides, as Manchester United have already experienced this autumn. Nevertheless, Michael Carrick managed to welcome Carlos Baleba and Matthijs de Ligt back onto the pitch in a rare piece of encouraging fitness news.
This extended club break has stretched on long enough for United to arrange a friendly against sister club Lausanne Sport. The match against a fellow INEOS-backed outfit gave Carrick the opportunity to hand some youngsters game time, keep a handful of senior players not away on international duty sharp, and ease a couple of long-term absentees back into action.
Baleba is still yet to make his Manchester United debut since joining from Brighton in a deal potentially worth £70 million ($92.5 million). The Cameroon international was considered fit enough to take a place on the bench during United's trip to Fulham just before the break, but remained unused as his side labored to a 1–1 draw.
Carrick has previously noted that the 22-year-old is "pushing to get back as quickly as possible" and had an ideal chance to hand his new midfielder some minutes against Lausanne.
The club currently sitting bottom of the Swiss top division also provided a gentle test for the rarely-seen De Ligt. Manchester United's injury-plagued centre-back is approaching a full year on the treatment table, with his last competitive outing for the club dating back to November 2025, when Ruben Amorim was still in charge.
De Ligt had surgery on a persistent back issue in May, which ruled him out of this summer's World Cup entirely. The Dutch defender rejoined first-team training in recent weeks and took a significant step forward in his recovery by featuring in this behind-closed-doors fixture against Lausanne.
It is still unclear exactly when De Ligt will be ready for a competitive return, though the Manchester Evening News reports it could come as early as next weekend's Premier League encounter with Tottenham Hotspur.
Man Utd International Break Injury Audit
Pre-Window Pull Outs
It hasn't all been smooth sailing for Carrick this autumn. Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo were both forced to withdraw from England duty before a single ball was kicked. A persistent hip issue has been cited as the reason behind Rashford's absence, while the circumstances surrounding his teammate's withdrawal were left unexplained.
Benjamin Šeško also failed to link up with Slovenia's international squad after suffering a recurrence of a troublesome shin injury at the end of September. "I am already working on getting back on the pitch as soon as possible to help both the national team and my club once again," the tireless striker pledged.
Enforced Withdrawals
Then there are the players who did represent their countries but may come to rue that decision. In a particularly unfortunate turn of events for Carrick, two of his potential left-back options were both forced off during the international window.
Patrick Dorgu lasted just 30 minutes against Wales last weekend before pulling up with a hamstring injury. Noussair Mazraoui went down against Lesotho after attempting an awkward challenge that he was unable to complete. The versatile duo have since returned to Carrington for treatment from United's medical staff, with all focus now on a crucial home clash against Spurs.