Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick withdraws from England squad with mystery injury

Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick has withdrawn from the England squad to face Switzerland in their European Championship qualifier on Tuesday 8 September. Carrick, 34, has returned to his club and is now be a doubt for the upcoming Premier League clash with Liverpool at Old Trafford.

The FA have not disclosed the nature of the injury. His knock will be a concern however after the former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder suffered a string of injury problems that limited him to just 18 appearances for United last season. United struggled in the midfielder's absence, but at least now have the option of Bastian Schweinsteiger to fill the void.

United are yet to reveal the severity of the knock but have confirmed the player has returned to the club to be assessed with a report on the club's website describing the knock as a "headache ahead of the Premier League clash with Liverpool."

Carrick and Schweinsteiger have shared a midfield role so far this season, with the Germany international now likely to be given the nod for the visit of Brendan Rodgers' side on Saturday 12 September should the England international fail to recover.

Carrick was an unused substitute in the 6-0 win over San Marino on 5 September as England confirmed their qualification for next summer's European Championship in France.

The veteran was frequently troubled by injury last season. His season was brought to an early end last term when he suffered a calf problem in April that saw him miss United's season run-in in addition to England games against Republic of Ireland and Slovakia. It was the second calf injury the midfielder suffered that season while a groin injury also left him sidelined in November 2014.

United were beset by injuries during the first half of the 2014-15 season but have began this campaign relatively unscathed. Phil Jones (illness) and Marcos Rojo (fitness) are yet to feature this season, but otherwise van Gaal has had a full squad to choose from.