Tielemans Left Out as Carrick Sticks with Core for Atletico Test
Youri Tielemans’ Manchester United career will not start in Oslo. The £35m summer signing has been left out of the travelling squad to face Atletico Madrid this afternoon, his debut pushed back a few more days as Michael Carrick keeps faith with the players who have carried United through their opening pre-season games.
Tielemans, fresh from his World Cup exertions and a move north from Aston Villa, only linked up with his new team-mates at Carrington this week. The Belgian has been training with the group but will watch from afar as United play their third friendly of the summer, with Carrick resisting the temptation to throw him straight into action.
This has been the manager’s theme. While other clubs churn through wholesale changes between games, Carrick has gone the other way. Between the friendlies against Wrexham and Rosenborg he largely held his nerve, giving his senior players extended minutes and building a clear structure rather than a revolving cast.
That approach points to what comes next for Tielemans. Once he pulls on a United shirt, it is likely to be from the start, not in a late cameo. Carrick has shown he wants his main men bedded in quickly, and the Belgian midfielder is expected to be dropped straight into the core of this team as soon as he is deemed ready.
For now, though, he stays behind in Manchester. So does his countryman Senne Lammens, who also reported for training this week but has not travelled. Their absence opens the door for Radek Vitek to continue in goal and build on his own pre-season rhythm.
In front of him, Carrick has already begun to sketch out what looks very much like his preferred Premier League back four. Leny Yoro, Harry Maguire, Ayden Heaven and Luke Shaw are set to line up together again, a unit the manager has repeatedly turned to as he searches for defensive stability before the real business begins.
The midfield shape is equally telling. Mason Mount will anchor the centre alongside Andrey Santos, a pairing designed to control possession and set the tempo. That platform frees Shea Lacey to keep his place as the No10, operating between the lines where he has impressed this summer.
Out wide, Bryan Mbeumo and Patrick Dorgu will provide the width and running, while Joshua Zirkzee leads the line. It is a front four built for movement and quick combinations, and one that has already shown flashes of understanding in earlier outings.
Not everyone has a part to play. Tyler Fredricson is out of the picture entirely after his move to Lausanne-Sport in midweek, a reminder that pre-season is as much about trimming squads as it is about building them. Benjamin Sesko, meanwhile, is still believed to be nursing a shin injury and remains a doubt to feature.
Behind the established names, the bench tells its own story. Ethan Williams, Jacob Devaney and Harry Amass all wait for another chance after marking their previous appearance against Rosenborg with goalscoring cameos. Each of them knows that another sharp contribution here, against a side of Atletico’s calibre, can change how the season ahead looks.
Tielemans will not be part of that picture today. His time is coming, and when it does, the expectation is clear: step straight into a team already taking shape, and make it his.
