Eric Bailly could return for Manchester United's Carabao Cup encounter against Swansea

Jose Mourinho could be handed a defensive boost ahead of their Carabao Cup clash against Swansea with Eric Bailly in line for a potential return after being sidelined with a groin strain since the beginning of the month.

The Portuguese manager confirmed recently that the Ivory Coast international will be available "next week" and, according to United's official site, he could be given a run out against the Swans in order to build match fitness for their game against Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Saturday (28 October).

Bailly is the only player expected to return from injury as Phil Jones is still sidelined after he aggravated an injury during United's game against Huddersfield on Saturday (21 October), that he had originally picked up while on international duty with England.

Michael Carrick, Paul Pogba, Marouane Fellaini and Zlatan Ibrahimovic are still out with long-term injuries.

Marcos Rojo, on the other hand, is close to making his return to action after returning to training over the past few days. The Argentine has not played since April, after suffering a severe knee injury and undergoing surgery.

It was reported that he could be afforded some game time against Swansea in order to help build match fitness, but according to the Manchester Evening News, the defender is still not fit enough for competitive action and will not play on Tuesday or at the weekend.

Mourinho, meanwhile, is expected to make a raft of changes to the squad that travels to the Liberty Stadium, with the likes of Daley Blind, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Scott McTominay all expected to start the game.

The report claims that defensive duo Luke Shaw and Axel Tuanzebe could also start after they were left out of the Under-23 squad for their game against their Liverpool counterparts in Premier League 2 on Monday night (October 23).