According to Manchester Evening News reports, De Ligt will return after the international break, while Ugarte will not play again this year.

Manchester United have six players sidelined by injury following their Carabao Cup elimination at the hands of Brighton at Old Trafford on Wednesday.

Ahead of their final match against Fulham before the international break, only Luke Shaw is expected to return from Manchester United's six injured players.

On Wednesday night, six Manchester United players were unavailable for the Carabao Cup match against Brighton at Old Trafford. Lisandro Martinez and Diogo Dalot were also absent from this midweek squad.

Amad Diallo, Carlos Baleba, Manuel Ugarte, Matthijs de Ligt, and Tom Heaton have all missed the start of the season. Shaw's injury brings the total number of sidelined players to six.

Amad Diallo suffered a minor injury in the final days of pre-season and remains unavailable. The Ivorian winger featured in Manchester United's final four warm-up matches this summer but has missed the first six competitive matches.

Manager Erik ten Hag discussed his status at Tuesday's pre-match press conference, saying: "Amad Diallo is not close to returning in terms of days, but we will monitor his progress throughout the week."

Amad Diallo was unable to face Brighton, and it remains uncertain whether he will feature when Manchester United travel to Fulham on Sunday. Should he remain unavailable, Amad is likely to return after the international break.

Summer signing Carlos Baleba suffered an ankle ligament injury during pre-season and has not yet featured this season. However, the midfielder is nearing a return after recently intensifying his rehabilitation.

Ten Hag provided an update before the cup tie against Baleba's former club: "He will rejoin the squad within the next week or so."

This suggests he should be in contention after the international break. Baleba joined with an existing injury and is eager to resume full training with his teammates.

After starting Manchester United's first three Premier League matches, Shaw has missed the past week with a thigh injury. Ten Hag had previously indicated he was a possibility for the cup match, and he attended Old Trafford on Wednesday night.

The manager said: "It's possible he's available for the Brighton match, but it's not certain yet. It's only a matter of days, nothing more."

This timeline suggests Shaw should be fit for the Fulham match, meaning Diogo Dalot will likely return to the bench.

De Ligt last appeared for Manchester United in late November of last year—over ten months ago—when he suffered a back injury. The defender returned to training with the squad approximately five and a half weeks ago following surgery.

However, Ten Hag remains cautious about De Ligt's return. He said on Tuesday: "Matthijs is recovering gradually, to be honest. Given the timeframe and his current recovery status, I don't want to provide a specific timeline."

His return, however, will come after the upcoming international break. Following that, there will be another month until the next international window.

Ugarte remains Manchester United's only long-term absentee, having suffered a knee ligament injury at this summer's Copa America. The Uruguayan international underwent surgery and continues his rehabilitation at Carrington under the club's medical team.

Manchester United's latest update stated that while the surgery was successful, "he still has a long way to go for full recovery," and progress is currently being made. However, he is almost certainly ruled out until the end of 2025.

Having undergone surgery in mid-July, a return before the end of this season remains theoretically possible, though it depends entirely on his rehabilitation progress.

Heaton has been unavailable since being substituted due to a hamstring injury in a pre-season friendly against Paris Saint-Germain. Had he been fit, he would likely have been on the bench for the Brighton match.

Altay Bayindir took the bench instead, while Diogo Dalot made his appearance. Bayindir was also included in the squad for the Champions League match against Shabab the previous week when Heaton was unavailable.

The former England goalkeeper remains on Manchester United's European squad list and is included in the Premier League squad submission. These represent the most recent official updates regarding Heaton's availability.

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