Manchester United are suddenly facing a centre-back problem with both Lisandro Martinez and Matthijs de Ligt out injured.
The start of the 2026/27 season is just over a month away and Manchester United are already facing injury issues.
Lisandro Martinez was injured in the 2026 World Cup final as Argentina suffered a 1-0 defeat to Spain. The 28-year-old has previously spoken about considering retirement after his ACL injury.
Meanwhile, Matthijs de Ligt underwent surgery for a back issue and is expected to miss the start of the season for United.
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Michael Carrick must test Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven
As part of Ineos’ plan to invest in United’s future, two of their signings were centre-backs Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven.
Now 20 and 19 years old respectively, both have experienced senior Premier League football and are ready to take a step up in terms of their responsibility in the first team.
The partnership of Yoro and Heaven is one that could last over a decade at Old Trafford if United get it right.
The time is now for Michael Carrick to test the two young defenders together in a centre-back partnership.
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Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven should start together vs Rosenborg
In the 1-0 defeat to Wrexham in United’s first pre-season friendly of the summer, both Yoro and Heaven did start, but not as a centre-back pairing.
Yoro played as a right-back with Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui yet to return from their World Cup break.
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Next up for United is a pre-season clash against Rosenborg on Friday, July 24. Harry Maguire is fit and available to play, but Carrick should test the partnership of Yoro and Heaven while the pressure is off.
Maguire could then lead out a younger, academy-focused XI for the second half.
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