Sunday’s trip to Elland Road was always going to feel like a proper footballing occasion, but for Manchester United it now also carries the uneasy weight of a medical department working overtime. With a 2pm kick-off against Leeds United looming, Michael Carrick sat down for his pre-match press conference and delivered updates that will shape both the team sheet and thousands of Fantasy Premier League decisions. The headline is clear: Benjamin Sesko is out. The striker will not be part of the squad for the trip across the Pennines, and there is no firm timeline for his return. Luke Shaw and Kobbie Mainoo, meanwhile, are both doubts, with Carrick’s response on the pair being the kind of non-committal “We will see” that keeps everyone guessing until the last possible moment. There is some genuine positive news, though: Matthijs de Ligt is back in the squad after a long injury lay-off, giving United a welcome boost in central defence. It is a squad list that reads less like a team sheet and more like a weather forecast—partly cloudy, with a chance of left-backs—and Carrick’s tone at the press conference reflected the uncertainty of a manager who has learned not to promise anything until the medical staff have signed off.
The Sesko situation is the one that will cause the most frustration among supporters and fantasy managers alike. The striker is dealing with a shin problem, and Carrick’s update suggested that the case is complicated enough that no one is willing to put a date on his return. “He’s got to have a couple more checks before we update on timelines,” the manager said, adding that Sesko is “still a little further away” from being available. That is not the language of a player who is about to make a cameo from the bench; it is the language of someone whose recovery is being handled with extreme caution. According to Sports Mole, the injury first struck at the end of the 2025-26 season, which means this is not a fresh knock but a recurring problem that has flared up again. Sesko has already missed the last three matches, and the worrying part is that surgery has been reported as an option. That would explain why the club is being so careful, because if an operation is on the table, the timeline could stretch from weeks into months. For FPL managers, the situation is made even more annoying by stale official news. The FPL platform still carries a message suggesting Sesko will be back on 18 October, which is clearly outdated. His FPL chance is listed at 0%, and with no date in sight, the only sensible move is to plan for a longer absence. At Elland Road, United will have to find goals elsewhere, and the void left by a striker of Sesko’s quality is not something that can be filled by a tactical tweak alone.
The doubts over Luke Shaw and Kobbie Mainoo are a different kind of headache, because these are decisions that could go either way right up until the team sheets are officially released. Carrick’s Friday press conference answer was brief: “We will see about Luke and Kobbie.” That is hardly a ringing endorsement of their availability, but it is also not a ruling out. Both players are carrying unspecified injuries, and the FPL flags reflect genuine uncertainty, with both listed at 75% chance of playing. In practical terms, that means they are probably closer to being available than not, but the kind of 75% that makes you check your phone obsessively on Sunday morning. If Shaw is fit, he would almost certainly return at left-back, giving United a more experienced presence in a position that has been a talking point all season. Mainoo, if cleared, would offer an option in midfield, where his ability to receive the ball under pressure and break lines could be crucial in a hostile away atmosphere. The problem is that neither player has been fully confirmed, and Carrick’s unwillingness to give a straight answer suggests the final calls will be made close to kick-off. That is the worst scenario for fantasy managers, who have to decide whether to take a risk on players who might not even start, and for fans who simply want to know whether their strongest eleven will take the pitch. At a place like Elland Road, where the atmosphere is designed to make visiting players uncomfortable, having doubts over key players is far from ideal. United will need calm heads and sharp passing, and both Shaw and Mainoo, when on form, provide exactly that.
Defensively, the picture is a little brighter, particularly with Matthijs de Ligt back in the matchday squad. The Dutch defender has been out for a long time, and his return to the bench for a recent match was described by Carrick as “a good step for him.” De Ligt’s FPL chance is listed at 100%, which suggests he is fully available again, even if his match fitness is still being built up. His presence gives United a stronger base at the back and allows Carrick to rotate without feeling like he is weakening the spine of the team. The situation with Noussair Mazraoui, however, is much less clear. Goal’s summary of Carrick’s press conference indicates that Mazraoui is back in full training and expected to be in the squad, with Carrick saying “hopefully, we got Nouss back involved with us.” That sounds positive. But Sports Mole still lists him among the absentees, and FPL has him at just 25%, which suggests the uncertainty is real enough that he should be treated as a doubt until the team sheet confirms otherwise. This is the kind of contradictory information that makes following injury news feel like a full-time job. When the manager sounds hopeful, the local press is cautious, and the fantasy platform is pessimistic, the truth is probably somewhere in between. Elsewhere, Manuel Ugarte is out with a knee injury, Patrick Dorgu is sidelined with a hamstring problem and is expected to remain unavailable until around 25 October, and Tom Heaton is also out. On the positive side, Lisandro Martinez carries no injury flag on FPL, despite having been in the news for other reasons. Martinez, of course, apologised for his comments after the Atletico defeat, but that is an off-field matter rather than a fitness concern. With De Ligt returning and Martinez available, United at least have some defensive stability to lean on.
The opposition, meanwhile, have their own problems. Leeds United are not exactly at full strength either, and that could make this a fascinating clash of depleted squads. Joe Rodon, a key defensive figure, will miss the game, with Leeds manager Daniel Farke confirming that “he will miss this game.” That is a significant blow for Leeds, especially against a United side that will be desperate to get back to winning ways. Daniel James, the former Manchester United winger, is back in training, but Farke said they “have to wait how his body reacts,” which means he is at best a doubt for the match. Mateo Joseph is also out, leaving Leeds with fewer attacking options than they would like. The dynamic changes when a rival is missing key players, but it also puts extra pressure on the team that is healthier. Leeds will see this as a chance to press high and take the game to a United side that is trying to manage multiple absences. The match is scheduled for Sunday at 2pm at Elland Road, live on Sky Sports Main Event, and the atmosphere is sure to be electric. For United, the challenge is not just about the eleven players who start, but about the squad depth that will be tested over ninety minutes. Injuries have a way of leveling the playing field, and with both teams missing important names, the outcome could come down to which bench reacts better to the flow of the game.
In the midst of all this, there is one unavoidable truth: the information surrounding Man United’s injury list is messy, contradictory, and constantly shifting. The FPL flags as of 23:30 UK time on Saturday 17 October show one version of events, but the reality can change in a matter of hours. Carrick’s press conference provides some clarity, but it also leaves plenty of room for interpretation, and the gap between “he’s back in training” and “he’s in the squad” can feel like a lifetime. That is why it is so important to know which sources to trust. The transfer and injury news ecosystem around Manchester United is full of noise, and not all of it is reliable. According to the tier list referenced in the original report, Simon Stone and Laurie Whitwell are at the top of the trust hierarchy, followed closely by Rob Dawson and Mark Ogden. Anonymous “ITK” accounts, the kind that flood social media with vague claims and leaked line-ups, should be ignored entirely. They might occasionally get lucky, but they do not have the access or the accountability that proper journalists have. For United fans, the best approach is to be patient, wait for the official team sheet, and treat any information that comes from unofficial channels with a healthy dose of skepticism. As for the big question ahead of Leeds, it remains open: would you risk Shaw at left-back at Elland Road, or keep the back line settled and let him prove his fitness from the bench? It is a decision that Carrick and his staff will be weighing right up until the last moment, and it is exactly the kind of judgment call that defines a season. The answers will come soon enough, but for now, the waiting game is on.