Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has expressed concerns that his team might not be fully prepared for their Premier League opener against Fulham on Friday.
New signings Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui, who joined the squad just on Thursday, have had minimal time to train with their teammates, presenting Ten Hag with a selection challenge for the match at Old Trafford.
Adding to the team’s troubles, defender Luke Shaw is out with a calf injury, new £52m signing Leny Yoro is sidelined for three months due to an injury sustained in early August, and forward Rasmus Hojlund is dealing with a hamstring issue.
Manchester United has invested nearly £60m in bringing De Ligt and Mazraoui from Bayern Munich to strengthen their defense..
“The team is not ready but the league starts,” said Ten Hag.
“There are more managers who definitely have this problem but we have to make a start.
“We can’t hide from it. We can’t run away from it. We have to deal with it.”
United’s other summer signing, Netherlands striker Joshua Zirkee, was an unused substitute during the Community Shield defeat by Manchester City and could make his debut against Fulham.