15 players could miss Man Utd vs Tottenham after four injury blows

Premier League action returns this weekend as the extended international break comes to an end. Both Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur will hope that the break will help them end their stuttering form as they meet at Old Trafford on Saturday (5.30pm kick-off).

United had just one win in their last four games in all competitions before the international break. They came from behind to rescue a point in a 1-1 draw against Fulham in their last outing.

Things are even worse for Spurs, who sit at the bottom of the Premier League table. Roberto De Zerbi is still searching for his first Premier League win as Tottenham boss, with their last outing seeing them on the wrong end of a 3-2 scoreline vs Aston Villa.

Ahead of the meeting at Old Trafford, both Michael Carrick and De Zerbi have given the latest on the injury status of their squad. Both teams are expected to be without key players.

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Patrick Dorgu and Noussair Mazraoui are both expected to sit the game out for United, with the pair sustaining injuries while on international duty. "Patrick came off and looks like he'll be out for probably a number of weeks," Carrick said.

"Nous [Mazraoui] came off and took a knock. He's not quite right yet, so we'll have to see how he is."

Striker Benjamin Sesko is also certain to be absent for United after the striker pulled out of the Slovenia squad and was ruled out of the draw with Fulham prior to the international break due to injury

There will be last-minute assessments on the availability of Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo, following the pair's withdrawal from the England squad at the beginning of the international break.

Doubts also remain over the fitness of summer signing Carlos Baleba and forward Amad Diallo, who have returned to training for United, though neither have featured at all this season. "Carlos [Baleba] has improved, he's trained a lot," Carrick said.

"Amad's done a little bit of training, Marcus has done a little bit of training, Kobbie's done a little bit of training. So, a little bit mixed really between the group. Ben's a little bit further away with the issue he's got, so he won't be ready."

It also remains unclear whether Matthijs de Ligt will have regained full fitness, as the defender is still recovering from a back problem that has sidelined him since last November. Manuel Ugarte remains out long-term with a knee complaint, while doubts persist over the availability of goalkeeping pair Karl Darlow and Tom Heaton.

Tottenham will likewise be without several squad members, with De Zerbi providing an update.

In a boost, Spurs will have Jan Paul van Hecke and Micky van de Ven available for selection, despite them picking up knocks during the international window.

De Zerbi also expects midfielder James Maddison to be available, though the Tottenham boss acknowledged the playmaker has experienced a training setback. "He [Maddison] is available but he lost three/four days in the beginning of this week and the end of the last week," De Zerbi said.

However, Pedro Porro and Mykhailo Mudryk will both be absent, with De Zerbi confirming neither are fit to take on United. Dejan Kulusevski, Xavi Simons and Wilson Odobert continue to sit on the sidelines for Tottenham and are not expected to feature.

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