📅 August 24, 2026
Amad Diallo Ruled Out Up to Six Weeks After Ankle Injury
Michael Carrick’s midfield boost from Carlos Baleba is going to have to wait for minutes on the pitch, and now United have a fresh worry to go with it. Amad Diallo is facing up to six weeks out after the ankle injury that kept him out of Saturday’s defeat at Hull turned out to be worse than first suggested.
From a niggle to a proper injury
Carrick played it down before kickoff at Hull, telling MUTV that Amad had “just picked up a niggle right at the end of the week, in training,” with no clear timeline given at the time. Scans since have told a different story. The damage is to his ankle ligaments, and the club’s own assessment points to roughly six weeks of rehab before he’s even back in full training, never mind matches.
What it costs United
Six weeks from a Hull week injury puts his return somewhere around the start of October. That rules him out of Sunday’s home opener against Ipswich, the rest of September, and potentially close to seven fixtures across all competitions depending on how the recovery goes. For a player who was expected to be one of the first names on the teamsheet out wide this season, that’s a genuine blow, not just a squad depth issue.
Piling onto an already thin group
This lands on a squad already carrying knocks. Baleba arrived this week with his own ankle ligament problem from Brighton’s pre-season and isn’t expected back until well into September. Mason Mount has barely had a clean run since his hamstring setback before the campaign even started. That’s three attacking or midfield options either just signed or already sidelined, and United open their home season with fewer bodies to call on than the squad list suggests.
No panic, but no good news either
Carrick hasn’t put a firm date on Amad’s return, and the club’s line is that surgery isn’t expected to be needed. Small mercies. But losing your first choice wide player for the best part of six weeks, right as the fixtures start coming thick and fast, is exactly the kind of setback United could have done without after Saturday’s result.