Manchester United Faces PSG with New Midfielder and Key Absences
A new face finally steps into the frame for Manchester United, just as Michael Carrick’s pre-season plans are stretched to their limit.
Delayed by Belgium’s charge to the World Cup quarter-finals, United’s new midfielder is at last available to the head coach and has been included in the 22-man squad to face PSG on Friday. Carrick has had to wait for him. Now he has another option in the heart of a team still missing some of its biggest names.
Rashford, Mainoo, Martinez still out
That same 21-day mandatory post-tournament break that held the Belgian back continues to sideline three World Cup regulars. Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo for England, Lisandro Martinez for Argentina – all remain unavailable, their returns staggered by regulations rather than fitness concerns.
Up front, Benjamin Sesko is still battling the shin injury that cut short his campaign last season. The issue has lingered long enough to keep him out of this stage of pre-season, depriving Carrick of a powerful focal point in attack.
Carrick’s squad is also without Senne Lammens and Matheus Cunha. Cunha only returned to training this week after Brazil’s World Cup run, but neither player travels. United confirmed both are recovering from minor, unrelated illnesses and will rejoin the group next week at the training camp in the Republic of Ireland, where a historic meeting with old rivals Leeds at Dublin’s Croke Park on Wednesday night looms large.
Fernandes back to lead, Mbeumo keeps his place
For PSG on Friday, Carrick has named a 22-man group that mixes senior authority with enforced improvisation. Captain Bruno Fernandes returns to headline the squad, with full-backs Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui also involved. Of that trio, only Mazraoui starts, a nod to his sharpness and versatility in wide areas.
Up front, Bryan Mbeumo keeps the shirt. He leads the line again after scoring twice in the 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid in Stockholm last weekend, form that demands another look in a higher-profile test. The step up in opposition is clear; the faith in Mbeumo is, too.
There is no place this time for 15-year-old JJ Gabriel or fellow youngster Jim Thwaites. Both made their senior debuts in that win over Atletico, a landmark evening for the academy, but they drop out here as Carrick leans on more experienced options against elite European opposition.
Goalkeeping gap widens
If the outfield picture looks stretched, the goalkeeping situation is even more fragile.
Altay Bayindir is absent after finalising his loan move to Celta Vigo on Friday, a deal that temporarily thins out United’s options between the posts. With Lammens still unavailable and new signing Karl Darlow recovering from minor surgery carried out during his time at Leeds late last season, the club enters this PSG clash light in both numbers and experience.
Radek Vitek’s permanent move to Middlesbrough, a transfer worth up to £14million, underlines the changing of the guard. In his place, Dermot Mee and teenager Fred Heath step up as understudies to 40-year-old Tom Heaton, who starts again and shoulders the responsibility of anchoring an improvised back line.
Long-term absentees cast a shadow
The injury list does not end there. In midfield, Manuel Ugarte faces months out after undergoing surgery in July on a serious knee injury suffered during the World Cup with Uruguay. His absence strips United of a combative, ball-winning presence in the centre of the pitch at precisely the time Carrick is trying to impose a clear identity.
At the back, Matthijs de Ligt is still not ready to return from a long-term back problem. His continued absence forces more reshuffling in defence and delays the moment when Carrick can see his preferred back line together.
So United head into PSG with a new midfielder finally ready, a captain restored, and a forward in Mbeumo riding a wave of confidence. Around them, gaps remain, youth steps up, and the squad bends under the weight of World Cup hangovers and long-term injuries.
Pre-season is often about rhythm. For Carrick, right now, it is about survival, improvisation, and making every available minute on the pitch count.
