Man Utd will stay in Europe for pre-season this summer as they prepare for the 2026/2027 Premier League campaign.
06:00, 02 Apr 2026
United pictured in Sweden last summer.(Image: 2025 Manchester United FC)
Manchester United’s pre-season tour of Europe this summer could look like a school trip, given that most senior players will feature at the World Cup. There are seven more games for Michael Carrick to audition for the headmaster job.
The World Cup will run from June 11 to July 19. United usually earmark the first week of July for pre-season training at Carrington, while the first friendly has usually been played around the date of this summer’s World Cup final.
There was disruption two years ago due to Euro 2024, with several players joining United’s pre-season tour late, but that tournament concluded slightly earlier than the World Cup is scheduled to finish.
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When United’s players join up with the tour depends on the performance of their respective nations at the World Cup, as they will each be given time off when they exit the tournament.
United are set to stay in Europe this summer for the first time since 2003 (excluding the two summers impacted by the Covid pandemic) to prevent players from making multiple long-haul flights.
Talks are ongoing to finalise a schedule that includes visits to Scandinavia and other parts of Europe, but a clearer picture of what the squad could look like has emerged after the World Cup qualifiers.
The international break was the last chance for nations to secure their spot at the World Cup. Denmark were defeated by the Czech Republic on penalties in a play-off, which means Patrick Dorgu, who was not involved due to a hamstring injury, will be available for the tour.
Rasmus Hojlund is another Danish player on United’s books, but the obligation for Napoli to sign him for €44million (£38m) is set to be met, which will make the striker’s move to Italy permanent.
Slovenia will not compete at the World Cup, leaving Benjamin Sesko available to report for pre-season at the earliest opportunity. Sesko has been an upgrade on Hojlund since his transfer from RB Leipzig.
Cameroon failed to qualify for the World Cup before Christmas, meaning Bryan Mbeumo and Andre Onana will be available. Onana has spent the season on loan with Trabzonspor, but his contract expires at Old Trafford in 2028, so his future needs to be addressed again this summer.
United will try to offload Onana to recoup some of the £44m they spent to sign him in 2023. In hindsight, United should have known Onana wouldn’t work out when he berated Harry Maguire in a friendly in the USA that summer. It was a performative act from a goalkeeper who couldn’t actually perform.
Maguire has outlasted Onana at United.
Mason Mount and Luke Shaw will not make the England squad. Harry Maguire and Kobbie Mainoo were selected for the March friendlies, but neither is guaranteed to make the World Cup group.
It’s unlikely that Matthijs de Ligt will make the cut for the Netherlands considering he’s not played since November. De Ligt was already fighting for his place in the Netherlands squad when he was fit, suggesting Ronald Koeman will overlook him even if he returns from the sidelines in time to be considered. Joshua Zirkzee has hardly played for United this season, so it would be a surprise to see him called up.
Leny Yoro captained France Under-21s against Iceland last weekend, but he has not received a call-up to his nation’s senior squad yet. France have a rich history of producing quality central defenders, and Yoro will have to develop his game over the next few years to earn his senior debut.
Ayden Heaven represented England Under-20s, meaning he will be available. The 19-year-old is seen as a first-team player and is an example to academy prospects looking to bridge the gap.
Lacey struck the bar against Burnley.
This summer will be an opportunity for several youngsters to audition for a permanent role in the senior squad. Shea Lacey will be involved, while Chido Obi will get the audition he is desperate for.
Lacey made his debut against Aston Villa in December and excited supporters with cameos from the bench against Burnley and Brighton. The youngster was sent off in the FA Cup clash against Brighton, but he is supremely talented and will be hungry to bounce back on the pre-season tour.
Toby Collyer and Harry Amass will be involved after each spending a season in the Championship. There is a chance that both players could be permanently involved in the senior squad next term.
The likes of Sekou Kone, Diego Leon and Ethan Wheatley should get a chance to show what they can do, while the Manchester Evening News recently revealed JJ Gabriel is set to be involved.
Other youngsters from the academy, the likes of Godwill Kukonki, Jim Thwaites, Bendito Mantato, Jack Fletcher, Jack Moorhouse and Tyler Fletcher, will make up the remainder of the tour squad.
The 13 senior players who could be available for the tour:
Onana, Heaton, De Ligt*, Maguire*, Yoro, Shaw, Dorgu, Heaven, Mount, Mainoo*, Zirkzee*, Mbeumo, Sesko.
* = could be left out by their respective nations