Ruben Amorim has confirmed Kobbie Mainoo is in contention to return to the Manchester United matchday squad against Manchester City, but Matthijs de Ligt is a doubt.
United welcome their local rivals to Old Trafford on Sunday, looking to bounce back from the 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest in midweek.
Mainoo missed the trip to the City Ground and hasn’t featured for Man Utd since the FA Cup fourth round win over Leicester at the beginning of February.
However, the midfielder is poised to return to full training ahead of the Manchester derby and will be assessed to determine his availability for the big game.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference on Friday, Amorim said: "I think Kobbie is returning to training, so we’ll see and assess for this game already. Of course, he cannot play a full game, he’s a long time without training.”
United’s lengthy injury list has eased in recent weeks with defensive duo Leny Yoro and Harry Maguire returning to action on Tuesday night. However, Amorim has revealed De Ligt sustained a knock against Forest which places his involvement against City in doubt.
"I think Matta [de Ligt] has an issue. He has something during the game [at Forest] and we have to assess,” the United boss added. “I think the rest is normal.”
There was also an update on Mason Mount, who made his first appearance of 2025 as a second half substitute at the City Ground.
"Yes, he can start, but we have to manage his minutes still,” Amorim said.
