Man United vs. Sabah: Michael Carrick delivers Matthijs de Ligt, Luke Shaw fitness update ahead of Champions League opener

Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick has revealed that Matthijs de Ligt will be back in action "soon".

De Ligt has not taken to the field for the 20-time English champions since last November due to a long-standing back issue which led to him having an operation over the summer.

However, the Netherlands international is now back in training with his teammates, and Carrick has revealed that the centre-back is "pushing and pushing" to be involved.

"We're still managing him, he's trained well and he's pushing and pushing, but we've got to manage that last stage. He's in a good place and it's great to have him back. Hopefully he will return soon," Carrick told reporters.

De Ligt's return will be like a new signing for the Red Devils, with the 27-year-old one of Man United's strongest performers in the early stages of the 2025-26 campaign.

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De Ligt set to return for Man United "soon"

Carrick also delivered an update on Luke Shaw during his press conference.

Shaw missed training on Wednesday, and it remains to be seen whether the England international will be involved in Thursday's Champions League clash with Sabah.

"We just gave him an extra recovery day so we'll see by tomorrow how he is but it's not an ongoing thing or a plan. As normal each individual has different things that we manage," Carrick added.

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Carrick is expected to make changes for Sabah contest

Carrick is expected to make changes to his starting side on Thursday given that Man United will be back in Premier League action on Sunday afternoon against Manchester City.

"It's a balanced view, that's why we've got the squad. We need to adapt to certain strengths and different ways of playing," said the Man United boss when asked about rotation.

"We play Thursday, Wednesday, it's about managing the group and trusting them and anyone who can play will play."

Benjamin Sesko is in contention to start on Thursday night, with the striker coming off the bench to score in the 2-2 draw with Everton last time out.

The 23-year-old has been building his fitness early in the campaign following a shin injury that he sustained at the end of the 2025-26 season.