Massive blow for Man Utd! Leny Yoro suffers injury leaving Michael Carrick with ONE centre-back for Chelsea trip

The Red Devils are facing a full-blown crisis at the heart of their defence after Yoro became the latest casualty in a mounting injury list. According to The Sun, the 20-year-old was a notable absentee as United boarded their train to London from Stockport station, sparking fears that he could be sidelined for a significant period. The report further suggests there are even growing concerns within the club that Yoro's season could be over.

United’s problems are compounded by the fact that three other specialist centre-backs are currently unavailable for selection. Harry Maguire is serving an additional one-game ban after his dismissal against Bournemouth, where he was punished for calling fourth official Matt Donohue a “f***ing joke.” Meanwhile, the club failed in their appeal to overturn Lisandro Martinez’s red card for tugging Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s hair during the defeat to Leeds.

Martinez is now set to miss the Chelsea fixture as well as upcoming games against Brentford and Liverpool. To make matters worse, Matthijs de Ligt has not featured for the first team since November 30 as he continues to struggle with a persistent back problem. This string of suspensions and injuries has left the visitors with a threadbare roster of central defenders as they look to bounce back from their recent 2-1 loss at Old Trafford.

The absence of Yoro, Maguire, Martinez, and De Ligt leaves teenager Ayden Heaven as the only fit senior central defender in the traveling party. Heaven may be forced into a makeshift partnership, likely with Luke Shaw, who has experience playing in the centre of a back four from his time under Erik ten Hag. This would require a significant reshuffle of the backline, potentially seeing Diogo Dalot return to the starting XI after his benching against Leeds.

Carrick could also look to rookie Tyler Fredricson, who was part of the squad that travelled to Bournemouth last month. However, the 21-year-old’s confidence may be low following a difficult outing in the League Cup against Grimsby Town in August, where he was substituted at half-time with United trailing the League Two side 2-0. Regardless of the combination, United will be fielding a highly experimental defence at Stamford Bridge.

The situation carries a sense of deja vu for Carrick. His first ever Premier League game in charge of Manchester United also came at Chelsea back in November 2021 during his stint as caretaker manager. On that occasion, he opted for a back three to secure a 1-1 draw, and he may be forced into similarly pragmatic tactical shifts this time around given his limited personnel.

There was a small boost for the Red Devils as Kobbie Mainoo was included in the travelling squad after recovering from a minor injury that kept him out of the Leeds game.