Luke Shaw update as defender returns: Manchester United injury news vs Brighton

Rúben Amorim has provided the latest on Luke Shaw as Manchester United see a player return to duty as they welcome Brighton to Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon.

Manchester United are playing their second Old Trafford fixture within a week as Brighton & Hove Albion make the trip up north to face Rúben Amorim’s men.

The new year has started on a more positive note compared to the end of 2024, with the Reds securing a draw against Liverpool, a penalty-shootout win over Arsenal and a dramatic 3-1 win against Southampton, thanks to a hat-trick from Amad.

However, the players have been criticised for their lacklustre display against the latter, with all three of Amad’s goals coming in a 12-minute spell right at the end of the tie.

Amorim will no doubt be looking for his players to put in a more assured performance on Sunday afternoon, with multiple changes to the starting line-up expected.

Amorim to welcome Dalot back to United’s squad

One piece of good news is that Diogo Dalot will be able to return to the matchday squad after serving a one-match suspension against Southampton due to receiving a red card against Arsenal last weekend.

Amorim has also issued the latest on Luke Shaw’s recovery, explaining that he may be back in the next few weeks, although Mason Mount will be unavailable for a while longer.

“Luke Shaw is nearer than Mason Mount,” Amorim said on Wednesday afternoon. “Mason Mount will take a little bit longer. Luke, we’ll see in the next week or two. We’ll see if he’s returning.”

Harry Maguire was reduced to a bench role against Southampton after Amorim confirmed he had played through the Arsenal tie despite being ill. However, his appearance off the bench on Thursday evening shows that no lasting damage has occurred.

Jonny Evans and Victor Lindelöf remain out of action, having not featured since United’s 4-3 loss against Tottenham last month.

Kobbie Mainoo and Manuel Ugarte were both withdrawn before 55 minutes against Southampton, but Amorim confirmed after the game that this was due to tiredness more than anything else.

Brighton’s latest injury news

Brighton were giben several positives during their 2-0 against Ipswich as former Red Danny Welbeck returned from injury, while Georginio Rutter, Yankuba Minteh and Joao Pedro all featured despite being labelled as doubts for the fixture.

Manager Fabian Hurzeler has a number of issues to contend with as centre-back Igor Julio has been ruled out for the season due to a hamgstring injury, and Ferdi Kadioglu faces a spell away from the side due to an ackle problem.

 Evan Ferguson and Jack Hinshelwood are back in training but Brajan Gruda and Mats Wieffer remain doubts.

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