United travel absences worry
Ahead of Monday’s home game with Leeds, Manchester United reported travel absences and selection headaches: Matthijs de Ligt and Diogo Dalot were absent from travel and Harry Maguire is suspended, leaving Michael Carrick to reshuffle options (x.com) (x.com). At the same time reports say recent signings or targets like Sesko and Mbeumo have been training normally, so final selection will come down to fitness checks and Carrick’s late injury calls (x.com) (x.com).
Manchester United go into Monday night against Leeds United with a defense that almost has to be rebuilt on the fly. Harry Maguire is suspended after his red card at Bournemouth, Matthijs de Ligt is still rehabbing a back problem, and Diogo Dalot missed the Ireland trip because of illness. (manutd.com) That leaves Michael Carrick choosing between players who are just coming back and players who were not expected to carry this much of the load. Lisandro Martinez has returned to training after missing five matches with a calf injury, and Carrick said the call on using him will be made with “the bigger picture” in mind. (manutd.com) The timing is awkward because this is not a quiet midtable game. The Premier League lists Manchester United against Leeds United for Monday, April 13, 2026 at Old Trafford in Matchweek 32, with United still chasing a Champions League place. (premierleague.com) (sports.yahoo.com) United have also not played since the 2-2 draw at Bournemouth on March 20, so Carrick has had more than three weeks without a match but not a clean bill of health. In that spell, Martinez rejoined the group, Mason Mount got back to full fitness, and Patrick Chinazaekpere Dorgu continued individual recovery work. (manutd.com 1) (manutd.com 2) The shape of the problem is simple: one suspended center-back, one injured center-back, and one full-back who has not been with the traveling group. Carrick said de Ligt stayed behind because he is “not quite on the grass,” which usually means a player is still doing rehab before full team training. (manutd.com) There is at least one release valve up front. United said Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko were back with the group after withdrawing from international duty, so the late fitness calls are heavier in defense than in attack. (manutd.com) Leeds arrive with their own absences, but theirs are spread across the team rather than concentrated in one unit. Daniel Farke has already ruled out Anton Stach, Joe Rodon, and Daniel James, while Jaka Bijol, Noah Okafor, and Gabi Gudmundsson were still being assessed. (manutd.com) That matters because the first meeting was tight. Leeds and United drew 1-1 at Elland Road on January 4, with Brenden Aaronson scoring for Leeds before Matheus Cunha equalized three minutes later for United. (premierleague.com) The table pressure points pull both ways. Yahoo’s match preview says United are chasing the top four while Leeds are looking over their shoulder near the bottom, so Carrick is balancing two clocks at once: Monday’s result and the risk of pushing half-fit defenders too soon. (sports.yahoo.com) (manutd.com) So the team sheet is likely to tell the story before kickoff does. If Martinez starts, Carrick is gambling on match sharpness after a calf layoff; if he does not, United are asking a patched-together back line to handle a rivalry game with Champions League points on the line. (manutd.com) (premierleague.com)
