Leny Yoro will be available for Manchester United's Champions League clash with Roma at Old Trafford on Tuesday despite being seen with strapping on his knee in training, Michael Carrick has confirmed — but Marcus Rashford and Luke Shaw remain out, and the returning Patrick Dorgu will not be involved.
Yoro sparked fresh fitness fears on Monday when he trained with strapping on his knee, the last thing a United side already stripped of defenders needed on the eve of a game Carrick cannot afford to lose. The head coach moved quickly to calm them at his pre-match press conference.
"Leny just had a bit of a tendon really, so it's one of them that kind of comes and goes, but he's been managing it and he's been fine," Carrick said, in quotes reported by Sports Mole. "I think he's been fantastic, to be honest, one of our best players, and he has been since he came back on the first day of pre-season. He's impressed us all a lot, so I've been delighted with Leny and his performances and he's got to keep doing the right thing. He's on a really good pathway."
Dorgu back in training — but not in the squad
There was one genuine boost on the Carrington grass. Patrick Dorgu trained with the group for the first time since suffering a hamstring injury on international duty with Denmark in September, ending a two-month absence that has left United without a natural left-back for much of the autumn.
Carrick, though, was clear that Tuesday comes too soon. "It's great to have him back," he said, via the Standard. "He's worked ever so hard to be back with the group, but he won't be involved tomorrow. We'll see how he progresses through the week."
That timeline was first reported in this morning's Dorgu update, and it means United go into the Roma game with the same patched-up left side that has served them — unevenly — for weeks.
Rashford day by day, Shaw out for the week
Further forward there was no such encouragement. Rashford has now missed United's last three matches with a hip problem and did not train on Monday, while Shaw has been out since 10 October with an unspecified issue and was also absent.
"On Marcus and Luke, Luke definitely won't be around this week and fit at that point," Carrick said. "Marcus we'll just have to see, day by day, how he keeps improving."
Benjamin Sesko remains out with a shin injury that could keep him sidelined until the start of 2027, and Manuel Ugarte is also a long-term absentee, so the squad Carrick named in our Roma preview is effectively the squad he must win with — there is no cavalry coming over the hill this week.
So what does it mean?
United arrive at Tuesday night on a run of nine matches without a win in all competitions, their worst sequence since 1988, with Saturday's 2-0 defeat at Chelsea — in which Lisandro Martinez was sent off — the latest low in the worst start to a season in 40 years. Their only victories all season remain the league win over Ipswich Town and the Champions League win over Sabah on matchday one, 53 days ago.
That context is why Yoro's fitness matters so much. With Martinez suspended domestically but available in Europe, Yoro is the one defender Carrick can build a back line around right now, and losing him as well would have left the Roma game looking close to unwinnable. Instead, the pressure stays where it has been all week: on a manager who has two games before the international break — Roma on Tuesday and Aston Villa at the weekend — to prove this run can be turned around.
Beyond the Final Whistle: Carrick's words on Yoro were warm, and they needed to be — the Frenchman has been one of the few United players whose reputation has grown during this slump. But a fit Yoro is a reprieve, not a rescue. United are still short at left-back, still without Rashford, still without a win in nine, and Roma will arrive at Old Trafford knowing exactly how fragile this team is. If Yoro stands tall and United finally win, Carrick buys himself time. If not, no injury update will soften what comes next. Can Yoro and United finally end the winless run against Roma on Tuesday night?
