Manchester United head to the MKM Stadium on Saturday for their 2026/27 Premier League season opener against newly promoted Hull City, and manager Michael Carrick has given a notable Man Utd injury news update affecting several key members of his squad. The biggest headline centres on Benjamin Sesko, whose £50 million summer arrival from RB Leipzig had been clouded by a persistent shin problem that kept him out of all six pre-season fixtures.
Man Utd Injury News: Sesko, Mount and De Ligt fitness verdict ahead of Hull opener
Carrick confirmed this week that the Slovenian striker returned to full training at Carrington, raising the possibility of a first appearance of the campaign. But given how long Sesko has been away from competitive action, Carrick made it clear that the 22-year-old would likely come off the bench rather than lead the line from kick-off. That’s the sensible call.
On Mason Mount, Carrick described the situation as touch-and-go after the midfielder picked up a minor knock in pre-season. He hasn’t been ruled out but clearly isn’t certain to feature. Matthijs de Ligt is a different story entirely. The Dutch centre-back has been officially ruled out as United carefully manage the final stages of his recovery from back surgery, and the club are not taking any chances there. New goalkeeper signing Karl Darlow, however, is back in training and could find himself in the matchday squad. The original report comes from the Manchester Evening News, written by United correspondent Steven Railston.
This is United’s first trip to Hull since 2017, Hull having earned their promotion back to the top flight through the Championship play-offs. Carrick sounded broadly positive about where his squad stands heading into it.
Now, the honest tactical picture. United carry a 70% win probability into this one, and that number feels fair on paper. Carrick has genuinely strengthened his engine room this summer. Andrey Santos arrived from Chelsea for £48 million; Youri Tielemans came in from Aston Villa for £35 million, and with Bruno Fernandes orchestrating and a front two of Amad Diallo and Bryan Mbeumo supplying pace and directness, United should have Hull pinned back for long stretches.
But Carrick is widely expected to start his legacy back four of Martínez, Maguire, Shaw and Dalot, a quartet that has only lined up together 10 times across the last four years due to injury cycles. That’s a concerning number. Casemiro’s departure leaves a hole in front of that defence too, and a 4-2 pre-season defeat against AC Milan showed United can be badly exposed on the counter when their full-backs push forward. Hull will try to use exactly that space.
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Man Utd injury news permitting, United should win this comfortably. 3-1 or 2-0 looks the likely range, but don’t expect a clean sheet to come easy.
