Carrick will be worried: £12.8m Man Utd star spotted limping out of St James' Park

Manchester United suffered a defeat to Newcastle United on Wednesday evening after a stoppage-time goal at St James’ Park.

The hosts burst out of the blocks with intensity but failed to capitalise on their early dominance.

A dramatic end to the first half saw Jacob Ramsey sent off, Anthony Gordon convert from the penalty spot and Casemiro restore parity with a timely equaliser.

Despite enjoying a numerical advantage for much of the contest, United struggled to break down the resilient Magpies defence.

A lightning-quick transition in the 90th minute allowed William Osula to strike the decisive blow, handing United head coach Michael Carrick his first defeat in charge.

One of the defining moments of the match arrived in the 85th minute when Noussair Mazraoui was replaced by Tyrell Malacia.

Mazraoui had started the evening at right-back before shifting to the left flank following Luke Shaw’s substitution.

The £12.8 million signing appeared to pick up a knock, forcing Carrick to hand Malacia a rare opportunity.

That decision ultimately proved costly, with the Dutch defender producing a dreadful piece of defending in the build-up to Newcastle’s winning goal.

Fresh injury concern for Man United

Journalist Katherine Walsh later posted a video on X showing Mazraoui limping as he exited the stadium.

The footage sparked concern among the United faithful, particularly given Mazraoui’s stop-start 2025–26 campaign.

He missed the opening phase of the season through injury before departing for the Africa Cup of Nations to represent Morocco.

Mazraoui made his first start under Carrick in this match and delivered a solid performance in his natural position.

He could have offered greater attacking impetus in the final third, particularly by delivering more crosses.

Carrick will now hope Mazraoui makes a swift recovery during the 10-day break before Aston Villa travel to Old Trafford.

Lisandro Martinez, Patrick Dorgu and Matthijs de Ligt are already injured. More injuries in defence could create a huge problem for the interim manager.

Article written by Sanidhya Bhardwaj .