Injury crisis deepens for Man Utd ahead of Como's Champions League test
Manchester United have been hit by a fresh wave of absences in training as they prepare for their historic Champions League trip to face Como, leaving boss Michael Carrick with a significant selection headache.
ESPN reports that Lisandro Martínez and Marcus Rashford were among those missing from the session, describing United's "injury problems" as continuing to mount (ESPN). The Evening Standard goes further, claiming as many as TEN senior players could miss the game in Italy, naming Kobbie Mainoo, Luke Shaw, Ayden Heaven, Martínez and Rashford as all being absent from training (Evening Standard).
talkSPORT puts the number at six players missing training, calling it a "major concern" for Carrick and describing a "raft of absentees" as "the last thing" the manager needs right now (talkSPORT). Sky Sports, meanwhile, reports five Man Utd players missed the session ahead of the trip (Sky Sports), while Manchester Evening News offers a more detailed breakdown, revealing a 22-man training squad with eight players absent after United trained at Carrington on Tuesday morning (Manchester Evening News).
There's clear agreement across outlets that United are heading into this Champions League fixture significantly weakened, though the exact number of absentees varies depending on the report - ranging from five according to Sky Sports (Sky Sports), six per talkSPORT (talkSPORT), eight as per Manchester Evening News (Manchester Evening News), up to a possible ten as suggested by the Evening Standard (Evening Standard). The Evening Standard separately notes Carrick is "facing a selection headache in defence" as he finalises his lineup and team news for the match (Evening Standard).
Away from the injury concerns, Manchester United's own club website has focused on the opposition, detailing how Como have prepared for their own Champions League football as they host United in what is a landmark fixture for the Italian side (ManUtd.com).
With so many players touch-and-go, Carrick's team selection for the trip to Italy looks set to be shaped as much by circumstance as by choice, with the scale of the injury list the dominant theme across all the coverage heading into kick-off.
Written with the help of AI, using the headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.
