Man Utd injury crisis! Kobbie Mainoo & Luke Shaw among SIX stars to miss Atletico Madrid clash as Michael Carrick faces selection headache

The Red Devils have arrived in the Spanish capital severely depleted for their latest European test. Mainoo and Shaw were both notable absentees from Monday’s training session at Carrington following a bitterly disappointing Premier League weekend. United squandered a man advantage against Tottenham Hotspur, with Dominic Solanke heading home a stoppage-time equaliser to snatch a point.

Shaw was forced off deep into second-half stoppage time during that Spurs draw. While Mainoo managed to complete the 90 minutes, he also suffered a knock that rules him out of this crucial away tie.

Meanwhile, Diego Simeone's Atletico squad appear to boast a clean bill of health, leaving Carrick to patch together a starting XI under mounting pressure.

Speaking to the media in Madrid, Carrick shed light on the fresh setbacks to his English duo. "They've not travelled, they both picked up issues in the game on Saturday, and we were working through that, to see what that looks like," he explained. "At the moment, they are not ready for the game tomorrow."

The United boss is also navigating a defensive headache stemming from the recent international break. Patrick Dorgu and Noussair Mazraoui both returned to Manchester carrying injuries sustained while representing Denmark and Morocco.

"Patrick came off, and it looks like he will be out for a number of weeks," Carrick noted ahead of Spurs clash, before addressing his Moroccan full-back. "Nous came off and took a knock, he's not quite right, so we'll see how he is."

Benjamin Sesko and Manuel Ugarte join the growing list of unavailable talent. Ugarte remains at Carrington recovering from knee surgery, while Sesko is dealing with a frustrating shin problem. "It's a similar area, but it's not the exact same thing again. And we're still working through it a little bit to see how long the issue will be," Carrick stated.

The manager elaborated on the striker's setback: "[Sesko] recovered really well from the initial one, but sometimes things get thrown up and the body does certain things. We've got to react to that and try to get him back as quickly as we can."

Despite the mounting injury list, Carrick insists his squad can handle the strain of competing on multiple fronts. "We're not light on numbers, no," he declared. "Of course, we've got a couple of issues with some players missing out, but we're definitely not light on numbers."

Fortunately for United, they have received a timely lift at the back. Matthijs de Ligt has travelled with the squad to Spain, while Tom Heaton has resumed training and Amad Diallo recently returned to action. Academy standout Dan Armer has also been drafted into the travelling party to gain invaluable first-team experience.

"It's good for Dan to be part of it and for younger players to sample it, the build-up to the game, and get a sense of it," Carrick said. "It's good to have Matta [De Ligt] in and around it. We've had a little bit of patience with him, working through that and working hard to get to this stage. He's had a long journey, so we're delighted to have him back."

With his position under scrutiny following a sluggish start to the domestic campaign, Carrick must now rely on his returning stars to orchestrate a vital result on the continent.