Manchester United host Brighton in the Premier League on Saturday with Erik ten Hag’s men out to bounce back after taking just six points from their first four games

Manchester United are already under pressure after a dicey start to Premier League season, so Erik ten Hag could have done without any further headaches arising from the international break.

Instead, Harry Maguire was thrust back into the spotlight for the wrong reasons following his own goal against Scotland. Winger Antony, meanwhile, was stood down from the Brazil squad – and then by his club – as he deals with allegations of domestic violence. He will be unavailable for Saturday’s clash against Brighton, where United will want to build on a total of six points from four games.

Ten Hag also has a number of players ruled out with injury, whilst others look touch and go. The Dutch boss will be desperate therefore, that all his stars who reported for international duty return fit and healthy this week. Especially given that following the trip to Brighton, United return to the Champions League on Tuesday with a trip to Bayern Munich.

Here is a rundown of the state of play concerning United’s injured stars…

Mason Mount

The £58 million signing has missed United’s last two games with the hamstring injury he picked up against Tottenham, but has now returned to full training. Erik ten Hag has previously dismissed questions on when Mount would be fit again but after his latest scan provided positive news, the Dutch boss has a decision to make over whether the former Chelsea man is involved for the visit of Brighton on Saturday. Should Ten Hag take the cautious option and leave him out, then Mount will almost certainly return to the squad for United’s visit to Bayern Munich next Wednesday.

Mason Mount was injured at Tottenham ( Image: REX/Shutterstock)

Luke Shaw

Like Mount, Shaw has been ruled out since the defeat at Tottenham. He left the field with a muscular problem in north London, which also scuppered his place in the recent England squad. Ten Hag has admitted Shaw will be absent “for some period,” and indeed, the left back is yet to return to training. No set date has been put on his recovery, but he’s not expected to feature for the Red Devils any time before October.

Tyrell Malacia

With Shaw sidelined, Ten Hag could do with back-up option Tyrell Malacia being fit and available. No such luck, with the 24-year-old still struggling with muscular problem that saw him miss the pre-season matches, and it remains unclear when he’ll be back. When asked late last month if Malacia was in a position to fill Shaw’s void anytime soon, Ten Hag said: “It will take a few weeks before he will be back. “Definitely we have solutions in our squad to cope with that. We thought before the season about this scenario, what could happen. You hope to avoid this scenario, that’s also clear, but if it happens, you have to be ready for it. And we are ready to deal with it.”

Tyrell Malacia has been missing since pre-season ( Image: Getty Images)

Sofyan Amrabat

Having finally got a loan deal for Sofyan Amrabat over the line, Ten Hag would have felt pangs of anxiety to learn he’d withdrawn from Morocco’s international camp with a back injury. National coach Walid Regragui however, moved to reassure the club it was a precautionary measure after the midfielder “felt something.” Indeed, Amrabat has received treatment in Carrington this week and trained with his new teammates. He’s expected to be available – and involved – against the Seagulls.

Lisandro Martinez

Martinez was forced off against Arsenal with a foot injury, but was still included in the Argentinian squad for the games against Ecuador and Bolivia. But he didn’t feature in either, despite writing “Ready for what’s coming,” on Instagram ahead of the latter clash after taking part in full training. The centre back however, is expected to be fit to face Brighton this Saturday. Otherwise, the Red Devils face something of a mini-defensive crisis.

Raphael Varane

That potential crisis is partly due to the muscle injury Varane picked up during last month’s 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest. Ten Hag initially implied it was a precaution to take him off, saying: “He had complaints. So we didn’t want to risk him. We know we have Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof, good replacements. So we don’t take the risk, but what the complaint is and if it is really bad, we don’t know. We have to wait.” The injury has proved worse than first feared and no. date has been set for a return for the French international. Like fellow defender Shaw, he’s not expected to be seen in a United shirt during September.