New Manchester United signing Youri Tielemans and first-choice goalkeeper Senne Lammens are both absent from the travelling party for Saturday’s pre-season friendly against Atletico Madrid in Solna, Sweden.
Tielemans reported for pre-season duty at Carrington the previous day and appeared set to feature against Diego Simeone’s side. Neither he nor Lammens will make the trip, however, with both Belgian internationals expected to be included in Michael Carrick’s squad for the next pre-season game against PSG on Saturday, August 8.
The £35m summer arrival from Aston Villa – whose release clause United activated on July 15 – was a key figure for Belgium at the World Cup, captaining the side and scoring twice in a last-32 victory over Senegal before they fell 2-1 to eventual winners Spain in the quarter-finals.
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The Travelling Squad
Head coach Michael Carrick has opted for a leaner group for the Stockholm trip. Amad, who recently returned to pre-season training, is included and could feature for the first time this summer. Altay Bayindir has also made the party despite his agent pushing for an exit. Bryan Mbeumo and Joshua Zirkzee are among the forwards named in the squad.
Benjamin Sesko is absent, still recovering from last season’s knock. Manuel Ugarte also remains sidelined with a long-term injury, which – alongside Casemiro’s departure – is precisely why Carrick moved to sign both Tielemans and Andrey Santos, the latter a £48m acquisition from Chelsea.
The surprise omissions are four academy players: Toby Collyer, Dan Gore, Jacob Devaney and Chido Obi have all dropped out of the group. According to The Peoples Person, this signals their immediate futures lie away from Old Trafford – Collyer and Gore likely to depart permanently, Devaney and Obi candidates for loan moves.
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Altay Bayindir, Tom Heaton, Dermot Mee, Radek Vitek |
| Defenders | Harry Amass, Dan Armer, Patrick Dorgu, Ayden Heaven, Jaydan Kamason, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw, Leny Yoro |
| Midfielders | Jack Fletcher, Tyler Fletcher, Mason Mount, Andrey Santos, Jim Thwaites |
| Forwards | Amad, JJ Gabriel, Shea Lacey, Bryan Mbeumo, Ethan Williams, Joshua Zirkzee |
The Bigger Picture
This is United’s third pre-season game so far – and their first European tour since 2021’s COVID-19 travel restrictions forced them to tour the US, Asia and Australia in the intervening years. A 1-0 loss to Wrexham and a 5-0 win over Rosenborg preceded this step up against last season’s Champions League semi-finalists.
Carrick – who signed a two-year deal in May to become United’s permanent manager after guiding the club to a third-place finish following Ruben Amorim’s exit – is preparing his side for the Champions League after a two-year absence. Saturday’s 2pm BST kickoff in Solna is the first genuine litmus test of what that rebuild looks like under pressure.
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