Michael Carrick said both Luke Shaw and Carlos Baleba have “a chance” of facing Fulham on Sunday, with United still treating both as late calls. Baleba, who joined from Brighton for £70million in the summer transfer window, is in contention to make his debut. Shaw has not played since the 2-2 draw at Everton and has missed United's last three matches.
Carrick's fitness update
Carrick was careful not to promise too much. “Not totally 100% on either,” he said, and that is the real shape of the update. Shaw's case is short term, with the focus simply on getting him ready for the game.
The numbers around Shaw show why United will take even a partial return. He has made only 3 appearances this season and played 252 minutes, so any involvement against Fulham would be his first meaningful run in a while.
United's mood before Sunday
Carrick also pushed back on the idea that United's start has become a crisis. “We’ve got to put things in perspective: it’s not a catastrophe or a disaster, it's not the end of the world, we’ve lost a couple of games recently,” he said.
The club sit 16th in the Premier League and have won just two of their six matches in all competitions this term. That is not where United want to be, but Carrick's point was that they have still been in games rather than folding badly. Sunday’s trip to Fulham vs Manchester United is the next chance to steady things.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →
