Carrick Prepares United for Atletico Challenge in Stockholm
Michael Carrick and his players touched down in Stockholm with the mood quietly serious. This is no routine pre-season run-out. Atletico Madrid, already up and running with a 4-1 dismantling of Getafe in midweek, offer United their sharpest examination of the summer so far.
Carrick has treated these friendlies as dress rehearsals, not fitness exhibitions, and there is little sign of that changing today. A strong XI is expected again as United’s senior core edge towards full sharpness ahead of the 2026/27 campaign.
Partnerships take centre stage
Inside the club, this pre-season has been built around one word: partnerships.
In goal, Tom Heaton is tipped to get the nod. It is a pragmatic call as much as a sentimental one. Heaton is likely to be around longer than Radek Vitek, and Carrick needs a steady, experienced presence as the defensive structure beds in.
Along the back line, Leny Yoro has quietly become one of the more intriguing subplots. Twice used at right-back, he is expected to stay there for now. The long-term plan remains centre-back, but his ability to lock down the flank gives Carrick valuable flexibility. Right-back is a job he can do; central defence is where he is meant to grow.
In midfield, a clearer picture is emerging. Andrey Santos and Mason Mount have quickly struck up an understanding, their movements beginning to sync, their passing patterns more automatic with every outing. Carrick wants minutes, not experiments, so that duo is likely to go again, with the target of pushing beyond the hour mark together.
Ahead of them, Shea Lacey has seized his chance. Used as the No.10 last week, he delivered a tidy, composed display that earned him another crack in a strong side. United’s staff want to see whether that performance was a glimpse or a baseline.
Out wide, timing dictates selection. It is still too early for Amad, who continues to build up after his lay-off, so Bryan Mbeumo is expected to hold the right flank. On the left, Patrick Dorgu has done enough to keep his place, offering direct running and a willingness to stretch the pitch.
Through the middle, Joshua Zirkzee leads the line again. The Dutchman’s blend of link play and penalty-box presence fits neatly with Carrick’s desire to knit midfield and attack. For now, the shirt is his to lose.
One eye will also be on JJ Gabriel. The plan, internally at least, is to get him on for the final 20 minutes or so. Fresh legs, fearless attitude, and a chance to test himself against top-level defenders.
Kana-Biyik stays as academy exodus looms
While Carrick sharpens his senior options, the academy department is in the middle of a very different kind of operation.
United named 24 players in the Under-21 squad for Friday night’s pre-season friendly against Altrincham. Most of them will not be around by the end of the transfer window. A wave of loans is coming, designed to turn promise into hardened experience.
Enzo Kana-Biyik is the notable exception.
The club expects him to stay put this season, a deliberate decision as he moves into a crucial phase of his development. Rather than being sent out, he will anchor himself at Carrington: playing regularly for the U21s and stepping into first-team training sessions to feel the pace and demands of senior football.
It is a path United have used before for players they rate highly but do not want to rush into the churn of the loan market. The message is clear: Kana-Biyik is one they want to shape closely.
Welbeck, Hall, Tielemans – the wider picture
Away from the pitch, this week’s United Notebook has been busy.
Tyrone Marshall has addressed a question that always stirs emotion among supporters: whether United ever seriously considered bringing Danny Welbeck back to Old Trafford this summer. The answer, and the reasoning behind it, sits in a wider look at how the club now approach nostalgia versus necessity in the market.
There is also detail on Lewis Hall’s future, with the club weighing up the best route for the young left-sided defender, and early impressions of Youri Tielemans after his first training sessions in United colours. Tielemans’ adaptation, both technically and tactically, will be one of the quieter but more important storylines of the coming weeks.
A different kind of friendly
So to Stockholm, and Atletico.
This is not just about stretching legs or shifting merchandise. Carrick wants rhythm, cohesion and answers. Can Yoro hold his own again on the right? Do Santos and Mount continue to click when the opposition presses harder and punishes mistakes? Can Lacey shine with less space and more pressure?
Atletico, battle-hardened even in pre-season, rarely offer soft landings. For a United side trying to build new partnerships and a clearer identity, that is exactly the point.
By the time they fly home, Carrick will know a little more about who is ready for the season’s first whistle – and who still has work to do.
