Manchester United Pre-Season Squad for Atletico Madrid Test
Manchester United’s preparations sharpen on Saturday in Stockholm, and a 15-year-old will be right in the middle of it.
JJ Gabriel has been named in Michael Carrick’s 23-man squad to face Atletico Madrid at the Strawberry Arena, a bold show of trust in a teenager who is still waiting for his first senior appearance. He travels alongside returning World Cup duo Altay Bayindir and Amad, as United raise the level of their opposition and tighten the group.
Carrick has trimmed the numbers from the larger parties that went to Helsinki to face Wrexham and to Trondheim for last Friday’s 5-0 win over Rosenborg. The gentle build-up phase is over; Diego Simeone’s Atletico bring a very different kind of examination.
Bayindir and Amad reported back to Carrington at the start of the week and both are immediately drafted into the travelling squad, a welcome boost in goal and in attack. Belgian pair Senne Lammens and Youri Tielemans, who checked in on Thursday, stay behind this time, the game arriving too quickly for them after their return.
Gabriel keeps his place after being one of only two outfield players not to feature in Norway, the other being midfielder Jim Thwaites, an unused substitute in both friendlies so far. This trip offers another chance for both to edge closer to minutes, even as the competition for places tightens.
The flip side of a stronger, more focused squad is the cut. Toby Collyer, Dan Gore, Jacob Devaney and Chido Obi all drop out, a clear sign that Carrick is beginning to narrow his options as the new season comes into view.
United squad vs Atletico Madrid
- Goalkeepers: Altay Bayindir, Tom Heaton, Mee, Vitek.
- Defenders: Amass, Armer, Dorgu, Heaven, Kamason, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw, Yoro.
- Midfielders: J. Fletcher, T. Fletcher, Mason Mount, Santos, Jim Thwaites.
Atletico in Stockholm, a tighter United squad, senior players filtering back, and a 15-year-old on the plane: pre-season is starting to look a lot more like the real thing.
