Michael Carrick’s tough start to the new Premier League season has taken another hit as Manchester United winger Amad Diallo is expected to miss the next six weeks after suffering an ankle injury in training.

The 23-year-old Ivory Coast international picked up the knock during a routine session at Carrington earlier this week. Subsequent medical scans confirmed joint damage, ruling him out until at least early October. Club medical staff have indicated they will not rush his rehabilitation, taking a cautious approach with the long season ahead.

The timing could not be worse for United. Carrick’s side is already reeling from a shock 2-0 defeat to newly-promoted Hull City on the opening weekend. Diallo was unavailable for that trip, and his extended absence deprives the manager of crucial pace and directness out wide.

Diallo is now set to miss a string of vital fixtures. He was expected to play crucial role in the new campaign after a poor 20256-26 season. He will be sidelined for Sunday’s home match against Ipswich Town, as well as league clashes against Everton and Fulham.

Most notably, the winger will sit out the Manchester Derby against Manchester City on September 13. Depending on his exact recovery timeline, he could also miss early October matchups against Tottenham Hotspur, Leeds United, Bournemouth, and Chelsea.

Without him, Carrick has to find a way to spark an attack that looked entirely toothless against Hull. The manager fielded Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha in that opening defeat, but the partnership failed to click, and United struggled to test the goalkeeper.

Carrick may now be forced to hand more minutes to Marcus Rashford to provide opportunity in attack or experiment with central midfielders drifting into wider roles to cover the gap on the flanks.

United host Ipswich at Old Trafford on August 30, where Carrick will be desperate to secure his first points of the campaign and quiet the early-season noise.