Manchester United have acknowledged a fresh injury setback to Noussair Mazraoui after the full back was forced off while playing for Morocco, deepening an international break fitness crisis that now touches almost every area of Michael Carrick’s squad.
Mazraoui forced off in Morocco win
United’s media channels confirmed the blow after Mazraoui was withdrawn during Morocco’s African Cup of Nations qualifying win over Lesotho. The 28 year old came off worse from a collision and appeared to hurt his lower back and hip area, and the full extent of the problem is still being assessed.
It was a cruel end to what had been an impressive outing. Moroccan outlet Sport Le 360 described it as a complete performance before the injury, praising Mazraoui for his solidity in duels and his tidy distribution.
The timing could hardly be worse. Mazraoui is one of only two senior options who can deputise at left back if Luke Shaw is unavailable, the other being Patrick Dorgu, and Dorgu is himself now a doubt. Should all three be ruled out, Carrick would have to call upon 19 year old Harry Amass.
Fernandes and Dorgu add to the worry
Captain Bruno Fernandes is also a concern. He missed Portugal’s Nations League win over Norway after arriving in camp carrying an injury, with Portugal boss Jorge Jesus revealing that the midfielder had been playing through pain for around three matches. Jesus is hopeful Fernandes can recover in time for Portugal’s next Nations League fixture against Denmark on Thursday.
Dorgu’s situation looks more immediate. The 21 year old lasted only around 30 minutes of Denmark’s 2-0 win over Wales on Sunday after feeling discomfort in his left hamstring. Denmark boss Brian Riemer confirmed that the defender will leave the squad and return to Manchester for assessment, meaning he will also miss Denmark’s upcoming meeting with Portugal.
The wider list keeps growing
United had already confirmed that Marcus Rashford, Kobbie Mainoo and Karl Darlow would not travel on international duty, while Benjamin Sesko withdrew from Slovenia’s squad after a flare up of the shin problem that wiped out his pre season. Rashford was forced off against Fulham with a hip issue that has been managed since the summer, while Mainoo played around 80 minutes in the same game before being ruled out of Thomas Tuchel’s England squad.
Longer term absentees include Matthijs de Ligt, who has been out for almost ten months with a back injury, Amad Diallo with an ankle problem and Manuel Ugarte with a knee ligament injury. Trackers now put United’s total at around 11 players unavailable or under assessment.
Anxious wait before Tottenham
For Carrick the timing could hardly be more frustrating. United have won only two of their seven games in all competitions this season and the break was meant to be a chance to reset. Instead the manager faces an anxious wait to discover exactly who will be available when the Premier League returns on Saturday October 10, when Tottenham visit Old Trafford.
United supporters can only hope that no more bad news arrives from the camps before the players report back to Carrington.
