Man Utd's Injury Crisis Deepens: All the Players Set to Miss Crucial Man City Showdown

The opening Manchester derby of the 2026–27 campaign—and the first in a decade without Pep Guardiola at the helm—is here, as Manchester United welcome Manchester City to Old Trafford.

Despite the absence of their legendary boss, City arrive at the derby in superior form, having made a flawless start to their Premier League campaign under new manager Enzo Maresca, claiming all three victories from their opening three fixtures.

United, on the other hand, have had a more inconsistent beginning to Michael Carrick's first complete season at the helm, with a single win, a draw, and a defeat leaving them hovering in mid-table.

To make matters worse for Carrick, he enters the derby without a fully fit squad, as several key players are sidelined through injury for the fixture.

Man Utd Injuries

Carlos Baleba

New summer recruit Carlos Baleba arrived at Manchester carrying an ankle problem sustained during his spell at former club Brighton & Hove Albion, meaning he has yet to pull on a United shirt in a competitive match.

There is some positive news for supporters eager to see the midfielder in action, however, with Baleba potentially in contention to return for United's last match before the international break against Fulham on Sept. 20.

Luke Shaw

Luke Shaw was absent from United's 4–0 victory over Sabah FK on Thursday after being forced off during the 2–2 stalemate with Everton.

Carrick has confirmed that Shaw will undergo a fitness assessment to establish whether he is ready to play against Manchester City, and there is optimism that the injury-prone defender will be available.

"We'll have to see," Carrick said. "We just kind of looked after him a little bit. He wasn't quite ready for [Sabah] 100%, so we didn't risk it. We'll see how he is over the next couple of days or so."

Amad Diallo

Amad Diallo sustained what Carrick described as a "niggle" on the eve of the Premier League season opener against Hull City and has not appeared since.

Carrick had previously expressed hope that Amad would return ahead of the September international break, but it has since been suggested that his absence could stretch "a little bit longer"—potentially into October.

Matthijs de Ligt

It has now been 10 months since Matthijs de Ligt last wore a Manchester United shirt, with his most recent outing coming in the 2–1 away victory at Crystal Palace on Nov. 30 last season.

Since that match, the Dutch centre-back's recovery from a back complaint has been far from smooth, with a string of setbacks and complications repeatedly pushing back a return that was originally anticipated to take only a matter of weeks.

There is finally some positive news, as De Ligt has returned to training with the squad. Nevertheless, he remains unlikely to feature before the upcoming international break.

Manuel Ugarte

Manuel Ugarte is not expected to return to action for the remainder of this calendar year after sustaining a knee ligament injury while representing Uruguay at the World Cup.

The midfielder faces an extended spell on the treatment table, though a comeback before the season concludes remains a realistic prospect.

Tom Heaton

Tom Heaton has not featured for United this season after picking up a hamstring injury during a preseason encounter with Paris Saint-Germain.

No update regarding his expected return has been provided.