Manchester United face a nervous countdown to Saturday's Premier League clash with Tottenham after The Sun reported that nine first-team players must prove their fitness before Michael Carrick names his side at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils host bottom-of-the-table Spurs in Saturday tea-time with both clubs in crisis, and Carrick's selection plans have been complicated by a bruising international break that has left several key men in doubt.
United have taken just five points from their opening five league matches to sit 12th, while Tottenham have managed only two points and prop up the division. Defeat for either side would deepen a miserable start to the 2026-27 campaign.
Nine names on Carrick's treatment list
According to The Sun, United's medical team will assess nine players before deciding whether they can be involved this weekend, with three players having already sat out matches for their countries and two more withdrawing from the England squad entirely.
Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo both pulled out of England duty, though the report claims the pair are likely to be available for selection. Rashford was recently spotted at a padel centre in Manchester, which would suggest he has regained full fitness ahead of the visit of Spurs.
Benjamin Sesko is the biggest concern. The Slovenia striker, who missed United's last match before the break against Fulham, is described as highly unlikely to start against Tottenham as he battles a troublesome shin injury. Sports Mole reports the 23-year-old missed a fourth successive Slovenia squad get-together, and he has not started a league match since May 3.
Sesko the biggest doubt
Sesko's shin problem is in danger of becoming chronic, with the forward having featured only six times this season and scored twice. He was substituted in United's recent Champions League and League Cup ties against Sabah and Brighton, underlining the extent to which Carrick has had to manage his minutes.
United paid around £74m to sign Sesko from RB Leipzig in the summer of 2025, and the club are said to retain full confidence in the striker despite his injury woes. That will be little comfort this weekend, though, if Carrick is forced to look elsewhere for goals against a Tottenham side desperate for points.
Benjamin Sesko has also been the subject of transfer speculation, with Barcelona and Juventus reportedly monitoring his situation, but United have no intention of cashing in on a player they view as central to their long-term plans.
International break toll hits defence and goalkeepers
Patrick Dorgu is a doubt after suffering a hamstring injury in Denmark's 2-0 Nations League win over Wales, missing both the return fixture and the 4-2 defeat to Portugal. Noussair Mazraoui was forced off while on duty with Morocco and subsequently missed their 1-1 draw with Mali.
The goalkeeping department has also been hit. Back-up Karl Darlow pulled out of the Wales squad with an injury, while third-choice Tom Heaton has been sidelined with a hamstring problem for the last two months. Youngster Dermot Mee is in line to make the bench on Saturday if Darlow fails to recover.
Captain Bruno Fernandes is expected to be available after managing an injury during the international window. The Portuguese midfielder sat out his country's 2-1 win over Norway in Oslo but featured in their other fixtures, and should be fit unless any late issue occurs.
Must-win for both struggling giants
There is some cause for optimism: Amad, who is yet to feature this season, could make the matchday squad, while Matthijs de Ligt and Carlos Baleba are also among those being assessed rather than ruled out.
Tottenham arrive with problems of their own. Spurs are without Pedro Porro, Xavi Simons, Wilson Odobert and Mykhailo Mudryk, while Dejan Kulusevski has only just returned to training. SpursWeb reports the Swede remains a doubt to be named in a matchday squad.
That makes Saturday's meeting at Old Trafford a genuine six-pointer in the battle to escape the bottom half. United's crowd will be edgy if Spurs can frustrate them, but Carrick knows his side cannot afford another setback after a summer and autumn of mounting pressure.
Beyond the Final Whistle: United's injury room is overflowing at the worst possible moment, but if Rashford, Mainoo and Fernandes all come through their assessments, Carrick will still field a side good enough to beat the league's bottom club. Saturday will tell us a lot about both teams' seasons.
Do you think Carrick's United have enough to beat struggling Tottenham even with nine players in doubt?
