Patrick Dorgu handed Michael Carrick a rare piece of good news on Monday, returning to full Manchester United training five weeks after a hamstring injury — but Luke Shaw, Marcus Rashford, Benjamin Sesko and Manuel Ugarte were all absent again on the eve of the Champions League clash with Roma.
Dorgu back ahead of schedule
The Denmark international was part of the group working in open training at Carrington on Monday morning, as reported by the Sun, having been sidelined since the September international break. Dorgu lasted around half an hour of Denmark's Nations League win over Wales before pulling up with the hamstring problem, and Carrick admitted at the time that the injury would keep him out for a number of weeks.
His last United appearance came in a six-minute cameo in the 1-1 draw at Fulham on September 20, when he set up Matheus Cunha's equaliser — and he has missed the last six matches of a winless run that has stretched to nine games in all competitions. His return ahead of schedule gives Carrick a natural left-sided option again, with Shaw still sidelined and Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui having shuffled across to cover.
There was a second boost, too: Amad Diallo trained despite being forced off during Saturday's 2-0 defeat at Chelsea, a result covered in BTFW's report from Stamford Bridge.
Four still missing for Roma
The absentee list remains a long one. GiveMeSport's training report confirmed that Shaw, Rashford, Sesko and Ugarte were not involved in Monday's session, and the latter two are long-term absentees. Leny Yoro is available again after serving his European suspension against Como, while Lisandro Martinez can also face Roma — his red card at Chelsea on Saturday applies only to domestic competition.
United need the points. Back-to-back Champions League defeats against Atletico Madrid and Como have left them playing catch-up in the league phase, and Roma's visit is their first to Old Trafford since the 6-2 Europa League win in April 2021, when Carrick was on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's coaching staff. It also starts the two-game stretch — Roma on Tuesday, then Aston Villa — after which, as BTFW reported this morning, United are expected to judge Carrick's future during the international break, with Eddie Howe reportedly already contacted.
So what does Dorgu's return change?
A fit Dorgu changes the shape of United's left side. Without him and Shaw, United have attacked down one flank and defended the other with a right-footer out of position — one reason their build-up has looked so lopsided during the nine-game winless run. Even a place on the bench on Tuesday gives Carrick the width his team have missed, although a hamstring injury after five weeks out means United will be cautious about starting him.
Beyond the Final Whistle: This is a boost, not a rescue. Dorgu's return fixes one problem position, but Carrick still faces Roma without his first-choice left-back, his marquee striker and Rashford — and with his job effectively on trial over the next two games. If United cannot beat Roma with a half-fit squad at home, the returning faces will not save him; the break-time decision BTFW reported this morning will make itself. Can Dorgu make the difference against Roma, or is Carrick's squad still too thin to save his job? Let us know in the comments.
