Manchester United Names Helsinki Squad as Carrick Era Begins
Manchester United’s summer starts in the chill of Helsinki, and Michael Carrick has shown his hand.
The club have confirmed their squad for the pre-season friendly against Wrexham, the first stop on a tour that will stretch across Scandinavia and Ireland. Two of the headline arrivals of the window, though, will not be on the plane.
Carrick rewarded, now Carrick responsible
United closed the 2025/26 season with a surge. Third place in the Premier League, Champions League football secured, and a sense of order restored after a turbulent spell. It was enough for the hierarchy to remove the “caretaker” tag from Michael Carrick’s title and hand him the job outright after he stepped in for Ruben Amorim.
Now comes the hard part. This is his pre-season, his programme, his squad.
The first serious step is Wrexham in Helsinki, a fixture that will be as much about patterns and fitness as it is about the scoreline. It also offers the first glimpse of how Carrick wants his new-look group to function.
New boy Santos in, Tielemans and Darlow stay home
The standout name on the team sheet is Andrey Santos. The Brazilian midfielder, signed from Chelsea earlier this month, goes straight into the travelling party and will be watched closely for how quickly he adapts to United’s rhythm.
Two other fresh faces will have to wait.
Youri Tielemans and Karl Darlow are both absent from the squad. In Tielemans’ case, the reason is straightforward: rest. The Belgian has been granted time off after his World Cup campaign, where Belgium reached the quarter-finals before falling to Spain. United moved decisively to trigger the midfielder’s £35 million release clause at Aston Villa, but his first minutes in red will come later in the summer.
Darlow, another recent arrival, is also missing from the list, leaving the goalkeeping group in Finland to the familiar and the emerging.
Youth, opportunity and a spine of experience
Carrick’s selection blends senior names with a wave of academy talent, a pattern that has long defined United’s summers.
Tom Heaton provides the experience between the posts, joined by Radek Vitek and Dermot Mee in a lean goalkeeping unit.
At the back, Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw anchor a defensive group dotted with prospects. Patrick Chinazaekpere Dorgu and Leny Yoro add intrigue, while Ayden Heaven, Harry Amass, Jaydan Kamason and Dan Armer underline the club’s commitment to giving young defenders a serious look in pre-season.
Midfield is where curiosity will be sharpest. Mason Mount returns to the fold, and the presence of Santos gives Carrick a fresh option in the centre of the pitch. Around them, Jack and Tyler Fletcher, Toby Collyer, Dan Gore, Jacob Devaney and Jim Thwaites will all sense a chance to impress in competitive surroundings.
Up front, there is a similar mix. Joshua Zirkzee and Bryan Mbeumo headline the attacking unit, joined by Chido Obi, Ethan Wheatley, Shea Lacey and Ethan Williams. For several of them, Helsinki is not just a friendly; it is an audition.
United’s full squad for Wrexham in Helsinki
Goalkeepers: Tom Heaton, Radek Vitek, Dermot Mee.
Defenders: Harry Maguire, Patrick Chinazaekpere Dorgu, Leny Yoro, Luke Shaw, Ayden Heaven, Harry Amass, Jaydan Kamason, Dan Armer.
Midfielders: Mason Mount, Andrey Santos, Jack Fletcher, Tyler Fletcher, Toby Collyer, Dan Gore, Jacob Devaney, Jim Thwaites.
Forwards: Joshua Zirkzee, Bryan Mbeumo, Chido Obi, Ethan Wheatley, Shea Lacey, Ethan Williams.
A demanding summer, a different Champions League
Helsinki is only the opening act.
From Finland, United head to Norway for a meeting with Rosenborg, before stepping up the level again in Stockholm against Atletico Madrid, last season’s Champions League semi-finalists. Those games will sharpen edges and expose weaknesses long before the Premier League begins.
Then comes a heavyweight run: Paris Saint-Germain, Leeds United and AC Milan await as Carrick tests his squad against contrasting styles and intensities.
Domestically, the league campaign starts with a potentially deceptive assignment: Hull City in mid-August, followed by Ipswich Town’s visit to Old Trafford. Two newly promoted sides, two fixtures United will be expected to control, and two games that often set the tone for a season.
After that, the calendar tightens. Everton, Manchester City and Fulham lead into an extended two-week autumn international break, a rare pause in a season that will be packed.
By then, United will have also stepped into a new European landscape. Their Champions League return comes under the revised League Phase format, a fresh challenge in a competition that defines the club’s modern history.
For Carrick, the journey towards that stage begins not under the Old Trafford lights, but in Helsinki, with a mixed squad, a new mandate, and very little margin for missteps.
