Ruben Amorim issues Andre Onana injury update and rules Man Utd duo OUT of Arsenal clash

Lisandro Martinez and Noussair Mazraoui will both miss Manchester United's Premier League opener against Arsenal, Ruben Amorim has confirmed. The Red Devils welcome the Gunners to Old Trafford on Sunday to kick off their 2025-26 campaign.

Amorim will be desperate for a positive start given United's dire season last time out. But his side will have to take on Mikel Arteta 's men without two crucial defenders.

Martinez will miss the game as he continues his recovery from a long-term knee issue, while Mazraoui is sidelined with a hamstring strain. Amorim has however confirmed that both Andre Onana and Joshua Zirkzee could potentially play, while Benjamin Sesko is in line for a debut.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Amorim said: "No, Licha [Lisandro Martinez] and Mazraoui are out, they cannot play this game. Josh [Zirkzee] and Andre [Onana] are recovering and are options. We'll see."

On Sesko he added: “Sesko is ready to play on the physical point of view… he is ready, a big component in our league. Then he is really smart, every detail he asks, he is always thinking. We will see if he starts”.

United have an otherwise clean bill of health aside from those four. Amorim's United face a tough start to the campaign with clashes against Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea to come before October. Asked about his targets for the forthcoming campaign, Amorim replied: "It's hard to know.

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"We cannot change everything in four weeks, but we are better. We are training harder and are more prepared to cope with the demands of the game. I'm really more confident, that is clear. Step by step, we will be a better team."

"We want to return to Europe," Amorim added. "We have to be realistic with our fans. We will have to fight a lot because there are more teams with time together than us. We have to focus game by game. We want to win against Arsenal."

Amorim has also claimed he is now better equipped to face adversity at Old Trafford, having learned plenty of lessons from the club's woes of the past year. He said: "I learned a lot last season. I don't need to focus on the future.

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"That doesn't matter and I don't care. I need to live day by day. Everything that is noise to our team, I take out of the picture, so I just prepare my team against Arsenal."

Following the clash with Arsenal, United then face a trip to Fulham next weekend ahead of taking on Grimsby Town in the second round of the Carabao Cup following Wednesday evening's draw.

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