Manchester United are currently riding a wave of optimism heading into 2025/26 campaign – but the latest update from the training ground has given fans a cause for concern ahead of the season opener against Arsenal on Sunday, according to a well-placed source.
Injury concerns
Ruben Amorim has welcomed back Joshua Zirkzee and Andre Onana to first-team training this week after extended absences with injury, according to a report by Centre Devils – an outlet with excellent information on developments at Carrington.
Onana suffered a hamstring injury at the beginning of the summer and has missed the entirety of the club’s pre-season, though the Cameroon international was present on the tour in the United States.
Goalkeepers require less time to acclimate after an injury, however, and Onana is expected to start in goal against Arsenal despite his lack of first-team minutes.
Zirkzee is less likely to feature from the start on Sunday, even though new signing Benjamin Sesko only trained at Carrington for the first time on Monday. It would be a surprise if either forward started up top against the Gunners.
Lisandro Martinez has begun individual training on grass as he ramps up his recovery from the devastating ACL injury in February. But the Argentine defender is not expected to return to full first-team action until the Autumn due to the serious nature of his injury.
However, Amorim looks set to be without another key member of his defensive unit for the opening day of the new season as Morocco international Noussair Mazraoui is also struggling with injury.
Mazraoui still recovering
Centre Devils reveal Mazraoui, 27, is “expected” to miss the grudge match with rivals Arsenal on Sunday, giving Amorim a headache in defence to contend with.
“CentreDevils can exclusively reveal that Noussair Mazraoui is expected to miss the season opener vs Arsenal, with the Moroccan currently doing strength and rehabilitation work at Carrington.
The club are insisting that he has suffered a minor injury from the tour in the US and it is not a significant injury. He is currently working hard to get back.”
Mazraoui is expected to primarily function as a centre-back in Amorim’s system but the former Bayern Munich man’s tactical intelligence and positional versatility mean he can play in a variety of roles in the 3-4-2-1 system.
Amorim will be keen to welcome the versatile Moroccan back to his match-day squad as soon as possible. United face Arsenal at Old Trafford on Sunday at 4:30pm.
Featured image Alex Livesey via Getty Images
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Darragh Fox
Darragh is a writer for The Peoples Person who spent three years as a history graduate slowly realising football was by far the most interesting thing to write about.
