The first Manchester derby of the 2026–27 season—and the first without Pep Guardiola in a decade—is upon us, with Manchester United hosting Manchester City at Old Trafford.

Though without their iconic manager, City head into the derby in the better form, having enjoyed a perfect start to life in the Premier League under new coach Enzo Maresca, with three wins from three so far.

United, meanwhile, have endured a more mixed start in Michael Carrick’s first full season in charge, with one win, one draw and one loss leaving them lingering around mid-table.

Unfortunately for Carrick, he also heads into the derby without a full squad at his disposal, with a number of stars out injured for the clash.

Man Utd Injuries

Carlos Baleba

• Injury: Ankle
• Return date: Mid/Late September

Summer signing Carlos Baleba arrived in Manchester carrying an ankle injury picked up during his time at former club Brighton & Hove Albion, meaning he is yet to make his debut for United.

There is some encouraging news for fans waiting to see the midfielder in action, though, with Baleba potentially in line to return for United’s final game before the international break against Fulham on Sept. 20.

Luke Shaw

• Injury: Thigh
• Return date: Sept. 13 (vs. Man City)

Luke Shaw was left out of United’s 4–0 win over Sabah FK on Thursday after being forced off during the 2–2 draw with Everton.

Carrick has confirmed that Shaw will face a fitness test to determine whether he is fit enough to feature against Manchester City, and there is hope the injury-stricken defender will be raring to go.

“We’ll have to see,” Carrick said. “We just kind of looked after him a little bit. He wasn’t quite ready for [Sabah] 100%, so we didn’t risk it. We’ll see how he is over the next couple of days or so.”

Amad Diallo

• Injury: Ankle/Foot
• Return date: October

Amad Diallo picked up what Carrick described as a “niggle” right on the eve of the opening game of the Premier League season against Hull City and has yet to feature since.

Carrick previously revealed that he was hopeful of Amad’s return before the September international break, but it has now been suggested that he could be out for a “little bit longer”—perhaps until October.

Matthijs de Ligt

• Injury: Back
• Return date: October

It has now been 10 months since Matthijs de Ligt last pulled on a Manchester United shirt, with his most recent appearance coming in the 2–1 win away at Crystal Palace on Nov. 30 last season.

Since then, the Dutch defender’s recovery from a back problem has been anything but straightforward, with a series of setbacks and delays repeatedly delaying a return which was initially expected to take just a few weeks.

There is finally some encouraging news, with De Ligt now back in training with United. However, he is still unlikely to feature before the upcoming international break.

Manuel Ugarte

• Injury: Knee
• Return date: Unknown

Manuel Ugarte isn’t expected to feature again this calendar year after suffering a knee ligament injury while on international duty with Uruguay at the World Cup.

The midfielder is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines, but a return before the end of the campaign appears realistic.

Tom Heaton

• Injury: Hamstring
• Return date: Unknown

Tom Heaton has yet to feature for United this season after suffering a hamstring injury during a preseason meeting with Paris Saint-Germain.

No update on his return date has been issued.