Manchester United’s players will begin reporting back for pre-season at Carrington on Thursday, just 46 days after the last campaign finished at Brighton in May.
While many United stars are still playing at the World Cup – and others are resting after their countries were knocked out of the tournament in North America – a number of big names will be among the first group back at the training ground as Michael Carrick’s squad start work ahead of their first friendly against Wrexham in Helsinki a week on Saturday.
Daily Mail Sport looks at some of the key questions as United begin their preparations for the new season.
Which players are expected back on Thursday?
The first group to report for pre-season will include three players who missed out on England’s World Cup squad, Harry Maguire, Mason Mount and Luke Shaw.
Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko, Joshua Zirkzee, Leny Yoro, Ayden Heaven, Patrick Dorgu and Tom Heaton are expected to be among the others who report back along with a number of younger players who could feature against Wrexham.
It includes Toby Collyer, Harry Amass and goalkeeper Radek Vitek, three players who were out on loan last season.
Harry Maguire (pictured last summer) will be among the first to return to pre-season training
When are the World Cup players due back?
It depends on when they left and how long their teams lasted at the tournament. Typically, they will have between three or four weeks off after going out of the World Cup.
Kobbie Mainoo and Marcus Rashford, who is set to return for pre-season at United after a spell on loan at Barcelona, have reached the quarter-finals with England. Lisandro Martinez, Noussair Mazraoui and Senne Lammens are also through to the last eight with Argentina, Morocco and Belgium respectively.
Portugal duo Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot went out in the last 16, along with Matheus Cunha’s Brazil, Amad Diallo’s Ivory Coast lost in the last 32, and Tyler Fletcher came home with Scotland after the group phase.
Players typically get three to four weeks off after playing at the World Cup before returning
Which players are injured?
Unfortunately, Manuel Ugarte suffered a suspected torn ACL in his left knee as Uruguay were knocked out of the World Cup at the group stage after losing to Spain in Guadalajara.
Ugarte, who was likely to leave United this summer as part of a midfield rebuild, is now set to spend much of the season rehabbing the injury.
United are also likely to start the new campaign without Matthijs De Ligt after he underwent corrective surgery in May to cure the back problem that has kept him out of action since the end of November.
It wrecked De Ligt’s hopes of playing for the Netherlands at the World Cup, and he is not expected to be available until the early stages of the new season.
Manuel Ugarte suffered a suspected torn ACL in his left knee on duty with Uruguay
What about new signings?
United fans were starting to get restless over the lack of transfer activity after losing out to Manchester City and Tottenham for Elliot Anderson and Mateus Fernandes respectively.
Up to Wednesday, the only new signing on the horizon was Atalanta’s Ederson – and even that deal has been shrouded in uncertainty – but United have agreed terms over a £50million deal with Chelsea for another Brazilian midfielder, Andrey Santos.
The 22-year-old has been given permission to undergo a medical having already agreed personal terms, and should be ready to join up with his new teammates soon.
The situation with Ederson is less clear. Concerns were raised over an initial medical exam, but United have denied rumours that the move may be off and insist the 27-year-old player will go ahead with a full medical. It’s unclear when that will happen as Ederson enjoys a break after Brazil went out of the last 16 of the World Cup to Norway.
United are pursuing at least one more midfielder this summer Bournemouth’s Alex Scott high on the list. Target Aurelien Tchouameni is set to sign a new deal at Real Madrid.
They also want a left-sided attacker – with West Ham’s Crysencio Summerville among their targets – as well as a left-back and back-up goalkeeper.
Atalanta defender Ederson is the only player who is close to joining Manchester United
What are United’s plans for pre-season?
The first couple of days typically involve medical testing and fitness assessments. Every player will undergo initial tests with United’s sports science department as they make a staggered return to pre-season over the next few weeks.
The squad will then get down to intensive work to build up their stamina and conditioning, although some of them – including Mount – are known to have been working on an individual programme with their own fitness coaches during the summer.
There are only nine days between the players returning and the first friendly against Wrexham in Helsinki where a number of youngsters are expected to feature in a large squad which will help spread the workload.
United then face Rosenborg in Trondheim on Friday, July 24, Atletico Madrid in Stockholm on Saturday, August 1 and European champions Paris Saint-Germain in Gothenburg on Saturday, August 8.
There will be no pre-season tour as such this summer, with Carrick and his players flying in and out for each game – apart from the clash with Leeds at Croke Park on Wednesday, August 12 which will form part of a one-week training camp in Dublin.
United then finish off their pre-season programme against AC Milan in Wroclaw on Saturday, August 15 before beginning the 2026-27 campaign with a lunchtime kick-off at newly promoted Hull City a week later.
Michael Carrick is aiming to ‘compete for the biggest trophies’ on every front with Man United
What has Michael Carrick said about the new season?
Carrick sounded upbeat this week in a column he has written for the new United Yearbook. The 44-year-old landed the head coach’s job on a permanent basis in May after leading United to third place in the Premier League, clinching a return to the Champions League in the process.
‘We know that we need to keep improving,’ wrote Carrick. ‘We have a huge responsibility here to win and play exciting football. That never changes, and we should always be striving to compete for the biggest trophies. There are steps to take but we are in a good place to take them.
‘We’ve got a fantastic group of players, and we believe they have the required standards of talent, commitment and determination to be successful here. They love being at the club and we can see how badly they want it; that gives us the confidence to know we’re really building something and moving in the right direction.
‘Of course, I know that it can’t always be plain sailing, because the standards are so high. Those standards are necessary for a club of this magnitude. It’s why achieving something here is so satisfying. And if we show togetherness, along with the values that we want to see in our performances, then we’ll always have a fantastic chance of being successful.
‘We know we’ve got what it takes to beat the best teams in this league. Now it’s about doing that over a full Premier League campaign, while also fighting for every trophy available to us.
‘I cannot wait to lead the group forward next season and for those special European nights to return to Old Trafford. We are ready to kick on and give you more of the great moments that United are all about.’
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