Carrick flags absences: Licha out, Kobbie 10 days, Marcus hip

On Tuesday evening, Michael Carrick set out a shortened pool of options for his next squad, indicating that Licha will not be available, Kobbie is roughly 10 days from a return and Luke faces a slightly longer wait. He added that Ayden is ill and Marcus has been feeling a hip problem.

Details were first published by Simon Stone. The update offers the clearest picture this week of who Carrick expects to be without as he plans his selection, combining one confirmed absentee with provisional timelines for others and a note of caution around a key attacker’s fitness.

The reporting points to a mixed scenario: one player definitively out, two tracking towards near-term comebacks on different schedules, one unavailable through illness and one being monitored after discomfort. It stops short of guaranteeing exact return dates beyond the indication that one recovery could take about 10 days and another will extend beyond that.

There is no specific fixture named in the update and no detailed prognosis for the hip issue, so final availability is likely to hinge on how the affected players respond to treatment and training over the coming days. As ever with short-term problems, any acceleration or setback would alter the picture.

Even so, the information suggests Carrick may have to adjust plans at the back and across his wider squad in the immediate term, with the prospect of a midfield boost inside a fortnight if recovery remains on track. Further guidance on selection could follow once the medical team completes ongoing assessments.