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Joshua Zirkzee and Matthijs de Ligt have raised Manchester United fitness worries after both players were absent from Wednesday morning's training session. Zirkzee was forced out of the Manchester derby at the weekend due to a knock, whilst De Ligt has been sidelined for United's last 10 matches with a back problem.

Footage from Carrington showed Michael Carrick directing his players on the pitch, with assistance from Jonathan Woodgate, Steve Holland, Jonny Evans and Travis Binnion. Yet with neither Zirkzee nor De Ligt in attendance, it could pose problems for this weekend's Premier League encounter. Carrick will be hoping to maintain momentum when the Red Devils head to north London to take on Arsenal on Sunday afternoon.

The 44-year-old has taken charge on an interim basis until the season's end following Ruben Amorim's dismissal earlier this month. The former United midfielder's opening match at the helm delivered an impressive 2-0 victory over Manchester City on Saturday, courtesy of strikes from Bryan Mbeumo and Patrick Dorgu.

Reflecting on claiming all three points at Old Trafford, Carrick said: "It's a great start, there's no getting away from that. To be fair, before the game we coaches spoke and we said the boys were in a good place, we were quite happy with the days that we prepared for it. Emotionally where the boys were, they state they were at leaving the changing room - I was quite happy with that leading into the game.

"But then City are an unbelievable team with talent and they can rotate and change things, so there's a plan and then you've got to go plan b and c and work around it. You never really know how the game's going to go, but for it to pan out like that, the boys were fantastic today in so many ways. And to manage it emotionally with the information we've given them, and pulling it together, it was pretty good."

Sunday's fixture, however, will arguably present United with their toughest examination this campaign. Currently, Arsenal lead the Premier League table with 15 victories, five draws and just two defeats for their efforts. The Gunners also secured a 1-0 triumph over the Red Devils on the opening weekend courtesy of Riccardo Calafiori's crucial 13th-minute goal, a result United will be keen to avenge at the Emirates Stadium.

Currently occupying fifth place and harbouring strong ambitions of securing European qualification for 2026/27, United should be capable of fielding a virtually full-strength side against Arsenal this weekend, though possibly without Zirkzee and De Ligt. Mbeumo, Amad and Noussair Mazraoui have all returned from the Africa Cup of Nations, providing a significant triple boost for the Reds moving forward.

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With Kobbie Mainoo partnering Casemiro against City, Bruno Fernandes should be liberated to flourish in an attacking role he has been largely denied this season under Amorim. It comes as Carrick appears set to retain the squad he has inherited for the remainder of the campaign, with little discussion of arrivals or departures at United during the January transfer window.

While Zirkzee and Mainoo were linked with loan switches to Roma and Napoli respectively, it seems they will now remain at the club until at least the season's conclusion.