Manchester United have been handed a timely injury boost ahead of their crunch Premier League clash with Chelsea on Saturday lunchtime.

Michael Carrick is hanging on by a thread after another bruising weekend, as his side were thumped 3-0 at home by Bournemouth.

The Red Devils are winless in their last eight matches in all competitions and currently sit a lowly 16th in the league table.

Despite that poor run of form, Carrick will remain in charge for Saturday’s clash with Chelsea, although another poor result could signal the end of his time in charge.

And the under-pressure United boss was given at least a sliver of positive news on Wednesday after midfielder Kobbie Mainoo made his return to full training.

Mainoo has missed United’s last four games with a thigh injury, but could now feature at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

That game, however, could come too soon for Luke Shaw and Marcus Rashford, who were both not seen in first team training.

Benjamin Sesko and Patrick Dorgu also remain sidelined with longer-term issues.

Elsewhere, Carrick may also look to reinstall Bruno Fernandes to the starting lineup after he was dropped last weekend against Bournemouth.

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United’s captain was punished after publicly questioning Carrick’s tactics following their disappointing 4-1 defeat to Como in the Champions League.

But widespread reports suggest that Carrick and Fernandes have now held one-to-one talks, which could clear the way for the midfielder to be returned to the starting lineup at the weekend.