Antonio Valencia and Marouane Fellaini ruled out of Manchester United visit to Leicester City

Jose Mourinho has hinted David de Gea, Phil Jones, Nemanja Matic and Ashley Young will return to the Manchester United starting XI against Leicester City but Antonio Valencia, Marouane Fellaini and Michael Carrick all remain absent.

Mourinho made 10 changes to the side that crashed out of the Carabao Cup at the hands of Bristol City at the quarter-final stage on Wednesday [20 December], with United's evening made even worse when weather conditions prompted fight cancellations which forced the team to drive back to Manchester in the early hours of the morning.

De Gea, Jones, Matic and Young were left out of the match day squad completely and did not make the journey south and with Mourinho suggesting those who did travel will get the chance to rest, the quartet appear in line to return.

"It is the same," Mourinho said of his squad options, speaking at a press conference on Friday [22 December]. "There is no news.

"Of course, for the game at Bristol we changed a lot of the players, so we managed to give a rest to many of them and especially to the lucky ones that did not travel.

"Because the ones that did travel, even some who did not play, arrived back in Manchester close to 5am. People like Mata or Smalling, who were on the bench, had to travel back."

United remain without their first-choice right back Valencia, who's ever-present run in the Premier League first-team was brought to an end last Sunday against West Bromwich Albion when he was forced off with a hamstring injury.

Elsewhere, Fellaini, who has been unavailable for United's last seven matches, remains out with a knee injury but is expected to have some role to play during the run of fixtures during the festive period, according to United's official website. Mourinho however does not expect club captain Carrick to return during that period, while Eric Bailly remains a long-term absentee having undergone ankle surgery.

"Valencia is out as you know," Jose told reporters. "Eric Bailly is having surgery right now or just finished. Who else [is injured]? Nobody else. Everything is okay."