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Manchester United manager Michael Carrick said he was "massively disappointed" by the ruling to uphold the bans keeping his preferred center back pairing, Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martínez, out of action, but spoke highly of their likely replacement, Ayden Heaven.
"I think Ayden's in a good place," Carrick told reporters ahead of United's visit to Chelsea on Saturday evening. "Well, I know he's in a good place. He's obviously still young and he's progressing through the early stages of his career, so I think it's pretty natural for him to play some games and maybe not some others."
Heaven had started eight consecutive Premier League matches for United, benefitting from the center back demand created by Ruben Amorim's back-three formation, before being quickly dropped following the managerial change. The 19-year-old has accumulated just 15 minutes spread across four substitute appearances since Carrick took charge in mid-January.
"He's training really well, he's learning, he's listening, he wants to improve," Carrick said, strongly hinting that Heaven would partner Leny Yoro at Stamford Bridge with the telling remark: "I've got no worries. He went away and played with England a couple of weeks ago and done well, so yeah, [he's] looking forward to the game, for sure."
Unfortunately for Carrick, the defensive line is not his only area of concern.
Kobbie Mainoo
Kobbie Mainoo's absence during Monday's woeful 2–1 loss to Leeds United was plain to see. The home side struggled to maintain any meaningful control against opponents who were all too eager to exploit the disorder. Manuel Ugarte spent much of the game avoiding the ball, leaving Casemiro isolated in a chaotic midfield.
Carrick declined to confirm whether Mainoo would be available for the Chelsea fixture, only disclosing that the academy product had done "little bits" in training. Given the team's sharp decline in form without him, Carrick may feel tempted to fast-track his return.
Harry Maguire
To Carrick's frustration, Maguire will be absent from Saturday's fixture after receiving an extended ban for allegedly using offensive language toward the officiating crew during last month's defeat against Bournemouth.
Maguire insists he was referring to the overall situation as a "f-----g joke," rather than directing his words at any individual official. However, that argument failed to convince the FA, who have ruled the England international out of the crucial Champions League qualification clash.
Lisandro Martinez
Many connected with Manchester United may have found it hard to believe that Martínez was dismissed for pulling Dominic Calvert-Lewin's man bun, yet the referee's decision has since been backed by the Football Association.
Martínez's suspension will remain in place for the Chelsea trip and the club's following two fixtures as well. United welcome Brentford next Monday before a derby against Liverpool at Old Trafford on May 3.
Patrick Dorgu
Among the few encouraging pieces of news to surface during United's lengthy break from competitive football over Easter was the approaching return of Patrick Dorgu. Few players shone more brightly across Carrick's first two matches than the energetic wide man before he suffered a serious hamstring injury against Arsenal.
However, Dorgu was not included in the squad against Leeds United and Carrick confirmed he would also miss Saturday's match against Chelsea.
"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," the United manager noted. "But he's back on the pitch, as I've already said, so that's positive, that he's doing really well."
Matthijs de Ligt
Manchester United's forgotten figure risks being entirely written out of this season's narrative. A persistent lower back problem has kept Matthijs de Ligt on the sidelines since November. With no return date in sight, it remains unclear when, or even whether, the Dutch international will feature in a Manchester United shirt again.