Manchester United will be without at least five first-team players when they return for pre-season training on Thursday, as Michael Carrick begins his first full campaign as permanent manager. The Red Devils finished third last season, securing Champions League football, and Carrick has been handed a two-year contract with an option for a further 12 months.
United's pre-season kicks off with a friendly against Wrexham on July 18, followed by matches against Atletico Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, and AC Milan. Their Premier League campaign starts away to Hull City on August 22. However, Carrick will be missing several key players due to World Cup commitments.
England internationals Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo are among those unavailable, with England facing Norway in the quarter-finals on Saturday. Rashford, 28, is expected to return to Manchester after the tournament, but his future remains uncertain. Lisandro Martinez is also absent, representing Argentina at his second World Cup.
Goalkeeper Senne Lammens is with Belgium, who beat the United States 4-1 to reach the quarter-finals, while Noussair Mazraoui has been outstanding for Morocco, who face France on Thursday. It is unclear whether players eliminated early will report to Carrington.
Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot saw their World Cup end on Monday as Portugal lost 1-0 to Spain in the round of 16. Altay Bayindir's Turkey and Tyler Fletcher's Scotland failed to progress from their groups. Amad scored for Ivory Coast but they lost 2-1 to Norway. Matheus Cunha's Brazil were beaten 2-1 by Norway, while Manuel Ugarte suffered an ACL injury with Uruguay and faces months out.
Carrick will have Luke Shaw, Mason Mount, and Harry Maguire available after they were overlooked by England manager Thomas Tuchel. Maguire, who has enjoyed a resurgence under Carrick and signed a new contract in April, expressed his disappointment on Instagram, saying he was 'gutted' and 'shocked' by the decision.
