Man Utd Sweat Over Shaw and Mainoo Ahead of Champions League Clash With Atletico

Manchester United have a growing injury list ahead of their Champions League trip to Atletico Madrid, with Luke Shaw and Kobbie Mainoo both missing from Monday’s final training session at Carrington.

Whether the pair will even travel to Spain is unclear. A decision is expected late on Monday afternoon. Benjamin Sesko, Patrick Dorgu and Noussair Mazraoui were also absent from the 23-man group, while Matthijs de Ligt trained as he continues his recovery.

Sesko’s shin problem is the biggest worry. It is in a similar spot to the injury that kept him out of the last three games of last season and all of pre-season. Carrick said last week that the issue is not the same thing again, but that the club still does not know how long he will be out. 

“It’s a similar area, but it’s not the exact same thing again. And we’re still working through it a little bit to see how long the issue will be. We’re hoping it will be soon, obviously, but at this moment it’s still not quite clear,” he said.

Dorgu is expected to be out for several weeks after hurting his hamstring on international duty with Denmark. Mazraoui pulled out of Morocco’s squad last month after a knock against Lesotho. A late call on him was considered before the Tottenham game, but he did not make the matchday squad.

There were still some familiar faces at training. Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martinez took part, along with young players Harry Amass and Ayden Heaven.

United will look to build on a 4-0 win over Sabah in their opening Champions League game. Atletico lost 2-1 to Liverpool in their first match and want to bounce back.

The two teams come in with very different form. United have not won in their last four games in all competitions. They lost to Manchester City and Brighton, which knocked them out of the League Cup, and drew with Fulham and Tottenham in the Premier League. 

Atletico have won their last four, beating Real Sociedad, Osasuna, Real Madrid and Alaves.