Mainoo, Rashford & Shaw: Man United injury list and return dates ahead of Chelsea clash

Manchester United head into this weekend’s Premier League fixture against Chelsea uncertain about whether Michael Carrick will still be their manager or who might be in their starting line-up – injuries will almost certainly hamper their hopes of going nine games without a win to some extent or another.

Kobbie Mainoo, Marcus Rashford and Luke Shaw are among the key players who have missed time in recent weeks due to fitness problems and all three remain doubts for Saturday’s game at Stamford Bridge. In total, six first-team players could be unavailable for a match which could seal Carrick’s fate – if he’s still in charge come kick-off time.

Ahead of a potentially critical game, we’ve collected all of the latest Manchester United injury news and updates below, along with the stricken players’ expected return dates when available.

Will Mainoo play against Chelsea?

Among Manchester United’s injured players, fans may be most relieved when Kobbie Mainoo comes back from the undisclosed muscular injury which has sidelined him since the 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur nearly three weeks ago – and they may get to see him in action again come Saturday.

Discussing Mainoo’s fitness ahead of last week’s Champions League defeat to Como, Carrick told the media that the 21-year-old would be out for around 10 more days, putting him in contention to face Chelsea. The midfielder remains a doubt, however, as the club have not provided an update on his availability since the weekend.

Marcus Rashford, meanwhile, has missed the last two weeks with a hip injury. The timeline for his return is unclear – he had been expected to take part in the Bournemouth match but was ultimately left out of the matchday squad despite having been fit enough to make the bench against Leeds United a week prior.

Although not expected to be facing a particularly long spell on the sideline, it’s not certain that Rashford will be available to play against Chelsea, and he has not been spotted in training at Carrington this week.

How long will Shaw be out for?

While Mainoo and Rashford could be involved against Chelsea, it looks unlikely that left-back Luke Shaw will make the squad – while Carrick refused to provide a precise timeline for the veteran’s recovery from a muscular injury, he did say that Shaw would be out for “a little bit longer” than Mainoo, suggesting a November return date.

He will be joined on the sidelines by Patrick Dorgu, who is expected to be out for up to four more weeks with a hamstring injury sustained during Denmark’s win over Wales during the recent international break.

Up front, Manchester United will be forced to make do without the services of striker Bejamin Šeško, who has been unavailable since before the break with a shin injury. The timeline for his comeback has not been established, but he is not expected to be ready to play for several more weeks at least and a much longer lay-off has not been ruled out.

The Slovenian is at least likely to be back in action before midfielder Manual Ugarte, who ruptured his ACL during the World Cup while playing for Uruguay. The 25-year-old is expected to miss most or all of the 2026/27 season.