Manchester United hit with huge injury concern ahead of Champions League return | OneFootball

Luke Shaw was a no-show just days before the Manchester derby against Man City

Manchester United defender Luke Shaw is a doubt to face Champions League debutants Sabah after first-team training, manager Michael Carrick has confirmed.

Shaw was absent from training on Wednesday morning, a day before Man Utd play their first League Phase game and four days before Sunday's huge derby against Manchester City.

The 31-year-old is the only recognised senior left-back in the first-team squad, though youngster Harry Amass was on show at Carrington and could find himself in contention to start the European tie.

Asked for an update on Shaw, Carrick moved to allay fears of a serious fitness concern. He told reporters: "We just gave him an extra recovery day so we'll see by tomorrow how he is, but it's not an ongoing thing or a plan. It's normal each individual has different things that we manage."

Also absent was Matthijs de Ligt, who continues to work towards a return from a back injury suffered last November.

"We're still managing him, he's trained well and he's pushing and pushing, but we've got to manage that last stage," Carrick said of the Dutch defender.

"He's in a good place and it's great to have him back. Hopefully he will return soon."

Carrick will be tempted to rotate his team against the Azerbaijan champions, with a daunting derby on the horizon, which could see Benjamin Sesko handed his first start of the season after overcoming a troublesome shin injury.

"[Sesko] is close [to full fitness]," Carrick said. "He missed a lot but we've had to manage him and get him fit.

"He scored a fantastic goal, he did an awful lot for us last season, and he's in a good place. It's just a case of when he takes that next step."