5 players to miss Atletico Madrid vs Manchester United

Manchester United do not have long to reflect on their disappointments after drawing at Old Trafford against Tottenham Hotspur last night, with Champions League action returning on Tuesday.

Tuesday’s action will see Michael Carrick’s side face Atletico Madrid away from home, with the club in need of a positive result to lift confidence.

Yesterday’s game exposed key concerns: striker problems, concerns holding on, sloppy and often rushed play. Those are the points Carrick will need to address ahead of next week’s schedule.

Whilst on-the-field work comes down to those on the pitch, the availability of players has caused much stress and concern with United’s management team forced to alter the side, affecting their abilities.

That altercation will be needed on Tuesday once again with five Manchester United players set to miss the fixture.

Benjamin Sesko is amongst those, having withdrawn from international duty to recover from his ongoing shin problem, an injury that could require surgery.

Tom Heaton will also miss the game with an abdominal injury with Karl Darlow likely to feature on the bench once again against Atletico.

Patrick Dorgu and Matthjis de Ligt are likely to miss the clash with Atletico, too, as they deal with issues to their hamstring and back respectively.

Manuel Ugarte, meanwhile, is United’s most long-term absentee, having undergone surgery to begin the process of recovering from his cruciate ligament injury that he sustained in the summer.

Whilst Manchester United’s injury concerns will force Michael Carrick into difficult decisions, Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone is unlikely to face selection problems with none of his players currently injured.

United will therefore need to find a way to secure a result in Madrid without several important options, with Carrick’s squad depth set to be tested once again.

The absence of Sesko may be particularly crucial given Manchester United’s recent attacking frailties, whilst injuries in defence could leave the manager with limited alternatives.

Atletico, on the other hand, will be looking to take advantage of their apparent clean bill of health and make their home advantage count.

For Michael Carrick, a positive result on Tuesday could be just the thing that is needed to improve their confidence. Defeat will only increase the pressure that exists currently, however.