10 players could miss Man Utd vs Fulham as three stars face race against time

· Mirror

Manchester United are set to be without a number of players for their Premier League clash with Fulham on Sunday, with Michael Carrick hopeful that Luke Shaw and Carlos Baleba can return in time for the game

Nine players could be absent from Manchester United's Premier League encounter with Fulham as Michael Carrick waits on whether Luke Shaw and Carlos Baleba are fit enough to face the Cottagers. Carrick could be without six players, while Alvaro Arbeloa has three issues of his own.

United are looking to respond before the international break, having suffered defeats in the last seven days against Manchester City and Brighton. The latter represented the first occasion in 50 years that the club had surrendered a 2-0 advantage at home.

Carrick will be keeping his fingers crossed that Luke Shaw and Carlos Baleba are fit enough to feature in his squad, having made the journey to west London - along with surprise inclusion Matthijs de Ligt. Baleba is yet to play since his summer switch from Brighton, with United's manager revealing he is working to integrate him into the group.

> "We're looking good. Everyone's up and running over the last week or so, pretty much everyone has played and [been] fit and we're trying to get Carlos back in.

> "Well, I say back in, actually introducing him into the group. So he's done a bit of training this week and, hopefully, we'll get Luke [Shaw] back in and around it this week and look forward to a strong game on the weekend."

Carrick added: "There is a chance on both, really. Not totally 100% yet." He noted that Shaw's issue was 'short-term'.

However, Carrick has been dealt another worry before the game at Craven Cottage, with Benjamin Sesko absent from the travelling squad seen arriving in London.

Amad remains unavailable for the trip, and is not expected back until after the international break. Carrick confirmed as much last week, acknowledging that his return was not imminent.

United have been contending with a string of lengthy injury absences. De Ligt has been sidelined for 10 months due to a back problem, with the Dutchman continuing his rehabilitation before travelling with the squad to London - though it's unlikely he'll be in the staring lineup.

Manuel Ugarte was forced under the knife after sustaining a knee ligament injury during the World Cup and remains on the sidelines for the foreseeable future, while goalkeeper Tom Heaton is also out nursing a hamstring strain.

Fulham, meanwhile, are set to be without both Tom Cairney and Kenny Tete until next month. Club skipper Cairney had knee surgery over the summer and is pencilled in to return to training after the international break.

Dutch defender Tete is also ruled out until next month following a concussion.

Ryan Sessegnon is in a race against time to prove his fitness after returning from injury to train on Friday. However, Alvaro Arbeloa struck a cautious note when asked about his availability.

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