Mainoo, De Ligt & Heaven: Latest Man Utd injury news and return dates ahead of Lyon & Newcastle games

Manchester United have been dogged by injuries throughout the current campaign, and thinks didn’t get much easier for beleaguered head coach Ruben Amorim when Matthijs de Ligt was ruled out of a dreary Manchester derby at the weekend – but will the Dutchman still be injured when the Red Devils take on Lyon in the Europa League quarter-finals?

The first leg of their match will take place in France on Thursday evening, and United also face a challenging game at St. James’ Park on Sunday in the Premier League, so the return of players such as De Ligt, Kobbie Mainoo and promising youngster Ayden Heaven would certainly be welcome.

We’ve got the latest updates on all three players and the rest of United’s injuries below, along with expected return dates when available.

Kobbie Mainoo closing in on return amid Matthijs de Ligt uncertainty

The club have still yet to specify the nature of a muscular injury that has now kept England midfielder Mainoo sidelined for two months. After his last league game, the 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace, Amorim said that Mainoo would be out for “weeks”, but he has still yet to make his comeback.

He does seem to be getting closer, however. Mainoo was assessed ahead of the dull draw with Manchester City and while he was ultimately not judged to be ready for action, it’s clear that he’s close to being back in the squad. Whether that will come as early as the game against Lyon, however, remains unclear.

There is even less clarity surrounding the status of Dutch defender De Ligt, who picked up a knock to his ankle during the recent defeat to Nottingham Forest. That ruled him out against City but all Amorim has told the media is that he “will see how long it’s going to take.”

The lack of communication, which has become typical for Manchester United, makes it impossible to know whether De Ligt will be available for Thursday night’s game, and the same applies to Ayden Heaven. The Manchester Evening News has reported that his foot injury, which caused him to be stretchered off against Leicester City, is not as serious as first feared, but we still lack a return date of any kind.

Long-term injuries still frustrating Manchester United

While we can expect – or at least hope – to see Mainoo, De Ligt and Heaven back in action before long, United still have several longer-term injuries which are creating selection issue for Amorim.

Amad Diallo (ankle) and Lisandro Martínez (ACL) are both out for the rest of the season, with some chance that the Argentine defender doesn’t play another game in 2025 – Amad, at least, should be fine to play a full part in pre-season.

There is also a lingering doubt over whether we see any more of Jonny Evans in a red shirt. The Northern Irishman hasn’t played since December due to a persistent back injury which is causing him discomfort, and there have been no updates from the club for some time now.

The good news is that Luke Shaw, who has played in just three games this season thanks to a string of serious fitness issues, was ready to return to the bench against Manchester City and could play some part against Lyon this week.