According to a report by Metro on Friday, October 30, 2026, Manchester United manager Michael Carrick is expected to be without four players for Saturday's Premier League clash against Chelsea, despite receiving a potential boost with Kobbie Mainoo nearing a return from injury.

Mainoo travelled with the Manchester United squad to London ahead of their meeting with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, raising hopes that the midfielder could feature.

The 21-year-old has missed United's last four matches because of a muscle injury. During his absence, the club recorded three defeats and one draw, highlighting the importance of his potential return.

Carrick had offered encouraging news about Mainoo's recovery earlier in the week, confirming that the midfielder had resumed training.

"In terms of good news, Kobbie has done a little bit of training yesterday. So, he's back and around the group, so that's obviously positive," the United manager said on Thursday.

However, Marcus Rashford and Luke Shaw were not seen among the 22-man travelling party pictured boarding the train from Stockport Station.

Shaw has missed United's last four matches, having last featured in the 1-1 draw against Tottenham.

The defender's continued absence has created problems at left-back, with questions resurfacing over the club's decision not to recruit another specialist for the position during the summer transfer window.

Rashford is also expected to miss the encounter. The forward was an unused substitute against Leeds earlier in October before missing subsequent defeats against Como and Bournemouth because of a hip problem. United have yet to provide a clear timetable for his return.

Patrick Dorgu remains unavailable as he continues recovering from a hamstring injury sustained during the September international break.

Benjamin Sesko completes United's injury list, with the striker expected to remain sidelined until January at the earliest because of a shin problem.

Sesko initially suffered the injury in the spring and missed the entire pre-season programme. After returning to action, he managed only two starts before the problem resurfaced in September.