Heaven, Mainoo, Amad - Manchester United injury news and return dates ahead of Man City fixture
All the very latest on the Man United injury front ahead of Sunday's derby against Manchester City at Old Trafford.
Manchester United will be targeting a first league double over Manchester City in five years when they meet at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon.
The Reds won 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium back in December, sealing a dramatic victory thanks to late goals via Bruno Fernandes and Amad, meaning they will be keen to take another three points off their cross-city rivals.
United were beaten 1-0 by Nottingham Forest on Tuesday night, being put to the sword via an early goal from former winger Anthony Elanga. It means head coach Ruben Amorim will be keen to see them get back on track at the first available opportunity.
Ahead of the visit of Pep Guardiola's side, here is all the very latest on the United injury front...
Ayden Heaven
Injury: unknown
Heaven was forced off shortly after half-time in United's win at Leicester City almost three weeks ago after tangling with Foxes attacker Patson Daka. He had to be carried off the pitch on a stretcher before later leaving the stadium wearing a protective boot.
But as reported by the Manchester Evening News during the international break, the injury is understood not to have been as serious as first feared. It is also understood he is out of the protective boot.
Although Amorim has not been able to offer a clear indication of when he will next be available, he is adamant he will play again this season.
Speaking on Monday, Amorim said: "[Heaven] was not so serious. He's recovering, he's not ready to play but he's going to return this season, for sure."
Possible return date: unknown.
Matthijs de Ligt
Injury: ankle
Fellow centre-back De Ligt appeared to turn his ankle in the closing stages of the first half of the defeat at Forest in midweek, sparking fears he could be the latest United centre-back to be heading for the treatment table. However, he was able to complete the full 90 minutes, easing such fears.
He later left the City Ground limping, but insisted he was okay, suggesting he should be available for the clash with City this weekend. However, Amorim has now cast doubt on that, revealing at Friday's pre-match press conference that he needs to be "assessed" ahead of the game,
Amorim told the media: "I think Matthijs has an issue, it's something during the game that we have to assess. The rest is normal."
Possible return date: April 6 (Manchester City H).
Lisandro Martinez
Injury: anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)
Martinez is a long-term absentee after rupturing his ACL in United's 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace at the start of February. He underwent successful surgery and is continuing with his recovery.
United have not put a specific timeframe on how long he will be out for, but he will not play again this season. ACL injuries usually take around six months to fully recover from.
Possible return date: August.
Jonny Evans
Injury: muscle
Evans has missed United's last 19 matches with a muscle issue he suffered back in December. He was last in the matchday squad when United lost 2-0 to Wolves at Molineux on Boxing Day.
He last made an appearance when United lost 4-3 to Spurs in the Carabao Cup on December 19. Amorim said earlier this week that the experienced Northern Irishman is "recovering".
Possible return date: unknown.
Luke Shaw
Injury: muscle
Shaw has been absent since the beginning of December. His recovery from his latest muscle issue was going well until he suffered a fresh setback after making a brief return to training at the end of January.
He was filmed back in training last Friday, offering encouragement he may have been available for the clash with Forest, but Amorim confirmed in his pre-match press conference that he is still "not ready" to make his comeback.
Amorim said: "Luke is not ready yet. We are starting to do some drills with the team but we are building Luke."
He is not expected to return this weekend.
Possible return date: unknown.
Kobbie Mainoo
Injury: unknown
Mainoo suffered an unspecified injury ahead of United's 1-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in February and Amorim said he expected to be without the England ace for "weeks".
After missing each of the last nine games, he is in contention to make the matchay squad in some capacity against City.
Amorim said on Friday: "I think Kobbie is returning to training, so we will see, we will assess for this game. He cannot play a full game, it's a long time without training."
Possible return date: April 6 (Manchester City H).
Amad
Injury: ankle
United lost Amad to an ankle injury prior to the defeat at Tottenham and Amorim admitted he expected to be without him for the rest of the season.
However, speaking after the draw with Real Sociedad in Spain last month, Amorim revealed he could be back in the latter stages of the campaign, offering encouragement he could still have a part to play this term.
Amorim said: "Even Amad, we will see in the end of the last month. I don't want to say anything but I have the hope to have Amad before the end of the season."
Possible return date: May.