While the World Cup was yet to be concluded, that didn’t stop the club action getting back underway, as Manchester United trekked over to Helsinki to kick-start their pre-season preparations with a first full season under Michael Carrick set to begin. With a limited squad due to the World Cup commitments, the mix of youth and experience was bolstered by the new addition of midfielder Andrey Santos who made his first start in a United shirt.

As always, if you have any thoughts on Manchester United this season, get in touch with us by leaving a comment, following us on Bluesky (@NextGoalWinner) or Instagram (@NextGoalWin) and checking out our YouTube channel (@NextGoalWinner).

Teams

Manchester United: Heaton (Vitek 46′), Shaw (Armer 46′), Heaven (Kamason 46′), Maguire (Gore 46′), Yoro (Amass 46′), Santos (Devaney 46′), Mount (Collyer 46′), Dorgu (Fletcher 46′), Fletcher (Wheatley 46′), Mbeumo (Williams 46′), Zirkzee (Lacey 46′)

Subs: Mee, Thwaites, Obi

Wrexham: Okonkwo (Ward 46′), Doyle (Hyam 46′), Scarr (Brunt 46′), Vyner (Coady 46′), Thomason (Dobson 46′), O’Brien (Ashfield 46′), James, James (Rathbone 70′), Broadhead (Barnett 46′), Smith (Keillor-Dunn 46′), Cadamarteri (Moore 46′)

Subs: Edwards, Clayton, Moore, Rees, McTweed, Owen

Manchester United 0-1 Wrexham

Manchester United’s pre-season preparations began with a narrow 1-0 defeat to Wrexham in Helsinki on Saturday July 18th, as Michael Carrick’s side were edged out by an organised and sharp Championship outfit. In front of more than 20,000 supporters at the Olympic Stadium, the Red Devils showed flashes of quality but ultimately lacked the cutting edge needed to cancel out Sam Smith’s first-half strike. The afternoon also marked the first appearance of summer signing Andrey Santos, who slotted comfortably into midfield and produced an encouraging debut despite the disappointing result. With several World Cup stars still absent and fitness the main priority, it was a useful workout rather than a cause for concern.

United started brightly enough, enjoying spells of possession with Mason Mount and Santos dictating play from midfield, while Bryan Mbeumo and Patrick Dorgu looked lively in wide areas. Joshua Zirkzee came closest for Carrick’s men when he dragged an effort narrowly wide, before Wrexham almost gifted United the opener as Smith inadvertently headed a corner against his own crossbar. Moments later, however, the former United academy striker made amends, ghosting into space to tap home Lewis O’Brien’s low cross after it slipped through the United defence. Wrexham looked the more settled side throughout the opening 45 minutes, pressing aggressively and carrying a threat on the counter whenever opportunities arose.

As expected in the opening friendly of the summer, Carrick changed almost his entire side at half-time, handing valuable minutes to a host of academy prospects. The young Reds controlled possession for long periods and showed plenty of energy, with Harry Amass, Shea Lacey, Tyler Fletcher and Dan Gore all producing encouraging displays. Ethan Wheatley forced Dan Ward into United’s first shot on target late on before Lacey tested the Wrexham goalkeeper again from distance, but Phil Parkinson’s side defended resolutely to preserve their clean sheet. While defeat was not the ideal way to begin pre-season, there were plenty of positives for Carrick to take away, particularly the promising debut of Santos and the composure shown by United’s emerging youngsters as attention now turns to the remainder of the summer schedule.