Manchester United Faces Key Absences as Tielemans Prepares for PSG Debut
Youri Tielemans is finally on the plane. Senne Lammens and Matheus Cunha are not.
As Manchester United head to Gothenburg for a glamour pre-season meeting with Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain, Michael Carrick’s squad carries both a new midfield heartbeat and a couple of notable absences.
Tielemans era begins
Tielemans linked up with United for the first time last week, cutting short the glow of Belgium’s run to the World Cup quarter-finals in North America to start the next chapter of his club career.
United paid around £35million to prise him from Aston Villa last month, handing the former Leicester, Monaco and Anderlecht playmaker a five-year deal that runs until 2031. A long-term bet, but one Carrick seems keen to cash in on quickly.
He sat out the 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid in the Snapdragon Cup at Stockholm’s Strawberry Arena, where a second-half brace from Bryan Mbeumo settled it, yet the 29-year-old is now included in Carrick’s 22-man group heading to Sweden. Barring a late twist, his first minutes in red should come at the Nya Ullevi Stadium against the back-to-back European champions.
The stage is not small. Neither is the expectation.
Captain returns, but key duo stay home
Bruno Fernandes is back as well. United’s captain has reported for duty after his own post-World Cup break and is expected to feature in Gothenburg, joined by Portugal team-mate Diogo Dalot, Brazilian forward Cunha and Morocco defender Noussair Mazraoui.
That, though, is where the good news ends for Cunha. Despite rejoining the group, he will not be involved against PSG. The same applies to first-choice goalkeeper Lammens, who returned to training on the same day as Belgium colleague Tielemans but will not travel.
United have confirmed that both Cunha and Lammens will remain at Carrington to “fully recover from non-related minor illnesses”, with the club expecting them to re-join the squad during next week’s training camp in the Republic of Ireland.
For a friendly on paper, it is a significant double absence. Cunha is a central piece of Carrick’s attacking puzzle, while Lammens’ status as No1 was supposed to bring stability to a position already in flux.
Goalkeeping reshuffle and injury list
That flux is now unavoidable. Lammens’ illness, the unavailability of new signing Karl Darlow and the departures of Altay Bayindir and Radek Vitek — who have joined Celta Vigo and Middlesbrough respectively — leave Carrick relying on experience and youth in equal measure.
Veteran Tom Heaton is expected to start, with Dermot Mee and teenager Fred Heath backing him up against PSG. It is a bold depth chart for a meeting with Europe’s most ruthless attack, even in pre-season mode.
Elsewhere, the injury and fitness bulletin remains busy. Striker Benjamin Sesko is still sidelined by the shin problem that dragged on from last season. Matthijs de Ligt is not yet ready to return from a long-term back injury.
Kobbie Mainoo, Marcus Rashford and Lisandro Martinez are all still on holiday following the World Cup and will link up with the squad in Ireland rather than Sweden, delaying the first sight of Carrick’s full-strength XI.
Kids shuffled, futures in focus
Carrick’s use of academy talent continues, but the cast list has shifted since Stockholm.
Fifteen-year-old JJ Gabriel, who made his senior debut off the bench against Atletico, is not involved this weekend. Fellow youngsters Jim Thwaites, Jaydan Kamason and Ethan Williams also drop out of the travelling party.
Heath steps in for the departed Bayindir, while Harry Amass, Dan Armer, Jack Fletcher, Tyler Fletcher and Shea Lacey all keep their places in the squad. Joshua Zirkzee also travels, his inclusion notable given he has been heavily linked with a summer exit. For now, he remains in Carrick’s plans and in the shop window.
Carrick’s first full season takes shape
After Sweden comes the serious work. United will decamp to Ireland for a training camp next week, a block Carrick views as crucial before his first Premier League campaign as permanent manager, having impressed in interim charge last term.
The Irish stay features a high-profile date with rivals Leeds at Croke Park in Dublin on August 12, followed by a final warm-up against AC Milan in Wroclaw, Poland on August 15.
Then the real thing: a Premier League opener away at Championship play-off winners Hull on August 22. No easing in, no soft landing.
By then, Tielemans should be embedded, Fernandes fully up to speed, and Lammens and Cunha back in contention. For now, though, United step out against PSG with a reshaped spine, a patched-up goalkeeping unit and a new conductor in midfield.
The question is simple: how quickly can Carrick’s remodelled side start to look like a team ready for the demands of a season that will not wait for anyone?
