Manchester United players will return to Carrington on Thursday as Michael Carrick welcomes back his squad for his first pre-season as the club's head coach. Carrick enjoyed an excellent spell in charge in the second half of last season, guiding United to third during his 17 games in charge, and having been handed a two-year deal, he now gets to oversee pre-season with his coaching staff.
But as it's a major tournament summer, and with the World Cup lasting a week longer than usual due to the expanded 48-team format, not every senior player will be returning to Carrington this week. So who will Carrick get to welcome back on Thursday as he looks to fine-tune his ideas with his squad ahead of the first pre-season friendly of the summer against Wrexham in Helsinki on Saturday, July 18?
First-team regulars available from day one
There are a good group of first-teamers at United who will be available for day one, having not gone to the World Cup at all. Harry Maguire made public his disappointment at not making the cut for Thomas Tuchel's England squad and has enjoyed a relaxing summer ahead of a rare full pre-season, while Luke Shaw will also be available having not been selected by Tuchel. Leny Yoro also missed out on the France squad and has had the summer off.
In midfield, Mason Mount is another England international who didn't earn selection this summer, while Patrick Dorgu's Denmark didn't qualify for the World Cup. United should have plenty of attackers available. Bryan Mbeumo's Cameroon surprisingly failed to qualify for the World Cup, as did Benjamin Sesko's Slovenia. Joshua Zirkzee hasn't done enough to keep his place in the Netherlands squad.
Injury and World Cup absentees
There will be a couple of injury absences from Carrington as well. Matthijs de Ligt is continuing his rehabilitation from back surgery and Manuel Ugarte faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines after a suspected ACL injury while at the World Cup with Uruguay. Some United players have already seen their World Cup journeys come to an end. Tyler Fletcher's Scotland didn't get out of the group stage and the 19-year-old will be back early in pre-season. Altay Bayindir's Turkey also failed to make it out of the group.
Amad scored a brilliant goal for the Ivory Coast in their last-32 tie against Norway, but it wasn't enough to stop them getting knocked out last Tuesday. He is likely to return to pre-season training in the third week of July.
No new signings expected for start
There had initially been an expectation that Ederson would be a new face for pre-season training, after United agreed a fee of £35 million, plus £3.8 million in add-ons, to sign him from Atalanta, only for the 26-year-old to be a late call-up for the Brazil squad. That means no new signings will be present for the start of pre-season training as United continue to try and strengthen Carrick's squad ahead of the new campaign.
Youngsters to feature prominently
There will be a host of youngsters included in the first-team squad at the start of the summer, and they could get some game time against Wrexham, or the following week against Rosenborg in Trondheim. United then play Atletico Madrid in Stockholm and Paris St-Germain in Gothenburg on back-to-back weekends. Fifteen-year-old JJ Gabriel is the player everyone wants to see this summer, but young striker Chido Obi is also likely to get a look-in, as is winger Shea Lacey, who now trains regularly with the seniors.
The lack of options in midfield also creates an opportunity for Jack Fletcher, Jack Moorhouse and Jim Thwaites. Toby Collyer will also be involved but is set for another loan at some point this summer. Sekou Kone is also likely to get a first-team chance despite his disappointing loan at Lausanne Sport, but Jacob Devaney will be full of confidence after an impressive spell with St Mirren.
Goalkeepers and defenders return
Goalkeeper Radek Vitek will return for pre-season but is set for another exit after an impressive loan at Bristol City, and he could leave on a permanent deal. Young left-backs Harry Amass and Diego Leon will get the chance to show they can play back-up to Shaw. Here's how the squad could look this Thursday when pre-season begins:
Goalkeepers: Tom Heaton, Dermot Mee, Radek Vitek, Elyh Harrison. Defenders: Jaydan Kamason, Habeeb Ogunneye, Harry Maguire, Leny Yoro, Tyler Fredricson, Ayden Heaven, Luke Shaw, Harry Amass, Diego Leon. Midfielders: Dan Gore, Sekou Kone, Jacob Devaney, Jack Fletcher, Toby Collyer, Mason Mount. Forwards: Bryan Mbeumo, Shea Lacey, Joshua Zirkzee, Chido Obi, JJ Gabriel, Ethan Wheatley, Benjamin Sesko.
