Man Utd1 - 0Fulham

Erik ten Hag's men had the honour of commencing the 2024-25 Premier League campaign at home to the Cottagers, who succumbed to a late Joshua Zirkzee winner at Old Trafford.

The Red Devils edged out Marco Silva's side despite being without a plethora of players through injury, as no fewer than six stricken men watched on from the sidelines.

Experienced centre-back Lindelof was among the troops to miss out, having also sat out the Community Shield loss to Manchester City owing to a knock sustained in pre-season.

The 30-year-old picked up his issue against Liverpool in pre-season, and while Ten Hag described his withdrawal from that contest as precautionary, he has not been seen on the field since.

Lindelof still recovering amid exit talk

Lindelof's unspecified concern appears to be affecting him more than first feared, as according to The Mirror, the defender was seen using crutches on a recent social media story posted by his wife.

The post included the caption "doing everything in slow motion these days" as Lindelof was seen moving gingerly with his crutches in tow, sparking fears of a longer-term layoff.

Either way, the Sweden international is being heavily linked with a departure from the club before the end of the transfer window, as his contract now has fewer than 12 months left to run.

Serie A giants Fiorentina are supposedly making a late effort to sign Lindelof, who has played 259 matches for the Red Devils since his £29.8m switch from Benfica in the summer of 2017.

Who else is in Man United's treatment room?

The Scandinavian has scored four goals and set up seven more for the Red Devils in that time, winning one FA Cup and one EFL Cup in the process, but he could be sold for a nominal fee this summer before a free transfer in 2025.

Ahead of Man United's trip to Brighton & Hove Albion for the lunchtime kickoff on August 24, Ten Hag is still working around a sextet of absentees, all of whom should watch on from the sidelines at the Amex.

Leny Yoro (foot) and Tyrell Malacia (knee) are facing another couple of months of recovery, while Rasmus Hojlund (hamstring), Luke Shaw (calf) and Will Fish (ankle) are targeting returns either just before or after the first international break of the season.

Jadon Sancho was also missing from the squad to face the Cottagers, although Ten Hag confirmed that the ex-Borussia Dortmund man was simply not selected for the contest.