📅 October 20, 2026
Lisandro Martínez and Marcus Rashford Miss Training Before Como, and the Club Says Rashford Is Managing an Injury
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Lisandro Martínez and Marcus Rashford both missed Manchester United’s last training session at Carrington before the trip to Como. The club’s own training update says there was no Martínez, Rashford, Ayden Heaven, Luke Shaw, Kobbie Mainoo or Benjamin Sesko on Tuesday morning, and it says Rashford “is managing an injury issue.”
That’s a new name on the list. Martínez was already a doubt after his thigh problem at Elland Road, and Shaw and Mainoo had missed two games. Rashford hadn’t been ruled out of anything.
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Who wasn’t there, and why
Martínez came off at half-time on Sunday with Noussair Mazraoui replacing him, and Michael Carrick said afterwards that he’d “felt his thigh a little bit”. There’s still no scan result or timeline. Missing the session before the flight doesn’t settle whether he travels, but it doesn’t help.
Rashford was an unused substitute at Leeds. Carrick had already said “Marcus has been carrying a little bit of something so we’re managing him to a point,” according to the Evening Standard and Centre Devils. ESPN also reports the club confirmed on Tuesday that he’s managing an injury issue. Nobody has said what the problem is in a way we can confirm from two sources, so we’re not naming it.
Heaven missed the Leeds game through illness, which the club and ESPN both say, so his absence isn’t necessarily a fresh injury. Shaw and Mainoo have now missed the past two matches. Patrick Dorgu and Manuel Ugarte are long-term absentees, and Leny Yoro is suspended for Wednesday after his red card in Madrid.
The defence that’s left
This is where it bites. With Yoro banned and Martínez and Heaven absent, Carrick’s centre-back cover is thin. The better news is that Matthijs de Ligt was back with the group. He hasn’t played since surgery on a back problem, per the club and ESPN, so he’d be a big ask for a Champions League start.
Two academy defenders trained with the first team: Dan Armer, who was on the bench in Madrid, and full-back Jaydan Kamason. The Standard and United in Focus both report the pair with the squad. Whether either is involved on Wednesday isn’t known yet.
The Manchester Evening News reports, via The Peoples Person, that United sources say a decision will be made on each absent player and that some could still travel after a late check, though it looks unlikely. That’s one outlet’s report, not a confirmed squad.
What’s next
Carrick and Andrey Santos are due to speak at 6:30pm UK (1:30pm Eastern) on Tuesday, per the club, with United in Focus giving the same time. That’s where we’ll find out who got on the plane. Como v United kicks off at 5:45pm UK on Wednesday, which is 12:45pm Eastern, at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia.
United go into it six games without a win. Our Como preview round-up has the Yoro ban and the rest of Monday’s news.
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Sources: The training absences, Rashford “managing an injury issue”, Heaven’s illness, Shaw and Mainoo missing two matches, de Ligt’s return after back surgery, Yoro’s suspension, Armer and Kamason with the group, and the 6:30pm press conference with Carrick and Santos from Manchester United’s official site (20 October), matched by ESPN (20 October) and the Evening Standard via AOL (20 October). Carrick’s Rashford quote from the Evening Standard and Centre Devils (20 October). Armer and Kamason also from the Standard and United in Focus (20 October); the press conference time also from United in Focus. The “late check” report is the Manchester Evening News via The Peoples Person (20 October) and is attributed as a single-source report. Kick-off time from the club’s how-to-watch page (19 October) and Sports Mole (20 October). Left out because outlets disagree or only one carries it: the total number of players missing (reports range from six to eight), the nature of Rashford’s problem, whether Tom Heaton and Noussair Mazraoui trained, and any claim about who has travelled. Accurate as of the morning of 20 October 2026, before Carrick’s press conference.