Manchester United will kick off their second competition of the season when they welcome Barnsley to Old Trafford on September 17.
Erik ten Hag‘s side come into the game full of renewed momentum, having dispatched Southampton 3-0 away from home in the league.
Barnsley, on the other hand, lost by the same margin away to Stevenage, so the pressure will be on Manchester United to avoid an upset.
United U21s have already beaten Barnsley this season, so there is no way the senior team can afford a slip up, even though they come into the game with some injury worries which Ten Hag has given an update on.
Man Utd injury update
Erik ten Hag spoke to the media ahead of the cup game and gave updates on the status of players who are close to returning.
Chief among them are Rasmus Hojlund and Luke Shaw, both yet to play a part this season in any capacity after pre-season injuries.
In addition, the likes of Noussair Mazraoui, Lisandro Martinez, and Matthijs de Ligt came off vs Southampton due to various issues.
Ten Hag said on the three players’ availability that they are ‘all available’, and ‘all good’.
The same couldn’t be said for Luke Shaw: “He’s progressing but not yet ready to be selected. He is progressing well, of course we have a plan in our head when he can be ready but you’re always dependent on how the progress will go and you can’t think, you can’t make a suggestion because there are so many factors, a plan can accelerate or slow down.”
On a potential first start for Ugarte, he said: “[As for] Ugarte, you will see tomorrow what the selection will be for this game.”
What to expect
The news about Luke Shaw still not being ready will undoubtedly infuriate some fans as his initial injury update hinted that he will be ready after the international break.
It was widely expected that he would be eased back into action in this game against League One opposition so it comes as a surprise.
However, the triple boost for United that all three players who pulled up in the Southampton game are available is huge news for United.
There wasn’t an update on Rasmus Hojlund so he is expected to remain sidelines which means Ten Hag might be able to unleash his hidden trump card vs Barnsley.
Ethan Wheatley will also expect to get some minutes now that Hojlund is expected to be unavailable.
In terms of long-term absentees, Victor Lindelof, Tyrell Malacia, Mason Mount, and Leny Yoro remains unavailable.
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
