Andrey Santos is set to make his first appearance for Manchester United in Saturday’s pre-season friendly against Wrexham. The midfielder completed a transfer that could be worth £50 million from Chelsea earlier this week and is the only one of United’s three summer signings available for the match.
Match Details and Squad
Manchester United begin their preparations for the 2026-27 campaign in Helsinki, Finland, with head coach Michael Carrick naming a 25-man squad for the trip. The match will take place at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium on Saturday, July 18, 2026, with a 4pm BST kick-off, broadcast live on MUTV.
Karl Darlow will remain in Manchester as he recovers from a procedure at the end of last season. Youri Tielemans has been granted extra time off following his exploits for Belgium at the World Cup. The majority of United’s representatives in North America will not feature, explaining the absences of Bruno Fernandes, Diogo Dalot, Matheus Cunha, Noussair Mazraoui, Altay Bayindir, Amad, Senne Lammens, and World Cup 2026 finalist Lisandro Martinez.
Injury and Fitness Updates
Manuel Ugarte is a long-term injury absentee, and Benjamin Sesko has not travelled to Finland, instead working towards full fitness after missing the final three games of last season. Carrick has named a squad that includes a mix of youth and experience, meaning the likes of Leny Yoro, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw, Ayden Heaven, Mason Mount, Joshua Zirkzee, and Bryan Mbeumo should all get some minutes.
Predicted Lineup and Youngsters to Watch
Radek Vitek could get the nod in goal, while youngster Jaydan Kamason may benefit from no senior right-backs being available to start in defence. Harry Amass, Chido Obi, Shea Lacey, and Tyler Fletcher—who was in the Scotland World Cup squad—will all be hoping to impress, as will Toby Collyer after two loan spells with West Brom and Hull last season. Wonderkid JJ Gabriel has not been named in the travelling squad.
Predicted Manchester United XI: Vitek; Kamason, Maguire, Heaven, Shaw; Santos, Mount; Mbeumo, T. Fletcher, Lacey; Zirkzee.
