With United’s more senior names still on their World Cup break, the pre-season preparations under Carrick stepped up a level at United returned to Scandinavia to take on one of Europe’s elite sides in the form of Atletico Madrid. With another chance to increase the fitness of the squad ahead of a big season, United were able to blend their youth and experience as they claimed a big win to build some confidence and cohesion ahead of Carrick’s first full campaign.

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Teams

Manchester United: Heaton, Shaw (Armer 73′), Heaven, Maguire (Amass 73′), Yoro, Mount, Santos (Thwaites 82′), Dorgu (Williams 73′), Lacey (Zirkzee 73′), Amad (Fletcher 46′), Mbeumo (JJ Gabriel 82′)

Subs: Bayindir, Mee, Vitek, Kamason, Fletcher

Atletico Madrid: Oblak (Esquivel 46′), Ruggeri (Sola 61′), Hancko (Martinez 61′), Le Normand (Gimenez 46′), Dominguez (Bonar 61′), Lookman (Hueso 61′), Koke (Hjulmand 46′), Vargas (Mendoza 46′), Martin (Lemar 61′), Ortiz (Luque 61′), Castillo (Esteban 61′)

Subs: Rubio, Puric, Llorente

Manchester United 2-1 Atletico Madrid

Manchester United continued their encouraging pre-season preparations with an entertaining 2-1 comeback victory over Atlético Madrid at Stockholm’s Strawberry Arena on Saturday afternoon. The Spanish side made the brighter start and stunned United with an early breakthrough, as Arnau Ortiz punished a defensive lapse to fire Diego Simeone’s men into the lead inside the opening minutes. Rather than letting their heads drop, Michael Carrick’s side responded positively, enjoying long spells of possession and growing into the contest. Their persistence was rewarded before the break when Shea Lacey’s clever run into the penalty area drew a foul, allowing new signing Bryan Mbeumo to calmly convert from the spot and level the scores.

United looked far sharper after the interval and began to control proceedings with Mason Mount pulling the strings in midfield and the youthful energy of Lacey continuing to cause problems. The decisive moment arrived midway through the second half when substitute Jack Fletcher threaded a perfectly weighted pass through the Atlético defence for Mbeumo, who kept his composure to slot beyond Jan Oblak and complete both his brace and United’s turnaround. Atlético threatened an equaliser late on, with Morten Hjulmand striking the woodwork during one of several dangerous attacks, but United defended with greater resilience as the game wore on.

The victory capped another productive outing for Carrick’s side, who once again blended experienced first-team players with exciting academy talent. Mbeumo’s clinical finishing offered another glimpse of the quality he could bring heading into the new campaign, while Lacey and Fletcher underlined the growing strength of United’s youth ranks with eye-catching performances. Fifteen-year-old JJ Gabriel also made his senior debut in the closing stages, providing another memorable moment in an afternoon full of positives. With confidence building and fitness levels continuing to improve, United left Sweden with another valuable win and plenty of reasons for optimism ahead of the remainder of their pre-season schedule.