Manchester United’s pre-season finale turned into a full-blown nightmare, with Michael Carrick’s squad blowing a lead twice before collapsing to a 4-2 beating from AC Milan in Wroclaw. This brutal loss, just one week out from their Premier League opener against promoted Hull City, has to be a major red flag for the coaching staff.
Defensive Nightmares and Carrick’s Concerns
Man Utd might have taken the lead twice, but that was clearly not enough to stop Ruben Amorim’s Milan side from tearing them apart. Three of Milan’s four goals were close-range efforts, and replays, if they’d had VAR in Wroclaw, suggest one might have even been offside. Ruben Loftus-Cheek capped it off, just sprinting past Lisandro Martinez and smashing a shot past Senne Lammens,who, honestly, saved them from even worse damage. It looked like United completely fell apart whenever Milan switched play to the right. Luke Shaw, who played the whole game, simply had too much ground to cover to get to the wing, and no support to back him up. The gaps between the defense and midfield weren’t huge, but they definitely weren’t covered well enough. To make matters worse, recent signing Andrey Santos, after an eye-catching five games this summer, totally had his inexperience exposed. Carrick himself admitted, “We are disappointed with today. We didn’t play very well. There are no excuses.” You gotta wonder what he’s thinking on that flight back to Manchester about their Premier League start.
The Rashford Question Mark Looms Large
Amidst all the chaos, Marcus Rashford made his first United appearance since December 2024, coming on as one of six substitutes after an hour. This is huge! After being “banished” by Amorim and going on loan to Aston Villa and then Barcelona, his return to his boyhood club was anything but expected. He even wore the vacant number nine shirt, though United officials were quick to say it isn’t permanent. Rashford looked relaxed and got a positive reception from the fans during his warm-up, but almost immediately Samuel Chukwueze tapped home Milan’s first equalizer right at that same end of the pitch. While Rashford, Kobbie Mainoo, and Lisandro Martinez all made their first pre-season appearances, and Bruno Fernandes and Youri Tielemans played the full 90, there’s still the lingering issue of Mason Mount’s foot problem, which has kept the in-form midfielder out for almost three full games now. But the big question has to be Rashford’s future. Carrick had every chance to confirm Rashford would be staying beyond this month, but he didn’t. With the transfer window slamming shut on September 1, this whole situation could get very interesting.
Carrick and his squad have a huge week ahead as they prep for that Premier League opener against Hull City. They need to figure out these defensive issues and what’s next for Rashford, because clearly, there’s a lot at stake for how they kick off this season.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by BBC Sport.
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