Manchester United has announced their squad for their upcoming pre-season tour of the United States. The squad includes new signing Leny Yoro, as well as Christian Eriksen, Rasmus Hojlund, and Scott McTominay, who returned to Carrington after their involvement in the European Championship.
One notable inclusion is Jadon Sancho, who is traveling with the team after manager Erik ten Hag stated that they have resolved their differences. Harry Maguire is also included in the squad, despite being left out of Gareth Southgate’s Euro 2024 squad due to injury. Other senior players like Marcus Rashford and Mason Mount are also part of the squad.
However, nine senior players will be absent from the tour due to their participation in Euro 2024 and the Copa America. These players are entitled to three weeks of mandatory holiday. Among the absentees are Lisandro Martinez and Alejandro Garnacho, who helped Argentina win the Copa America, and Kobbie Mainoo and Luke Shaw, who were part of the England side that reached the Euro 2024 final.
New signing Joshua Zirkzee is also not included in the tour as he was a member of the Netherlands squad that reached the semi-finals. Facundo Pellistri is also missing from the squad after being involved in the Uruguay squad that was defeated by Colombia in the Copa America semi-finals. Additionally, Bruno Fernandes, Diogo Dalot, and Altay Bayindir are not traveling with the team as Portugal and Turkey reached the Euro 2024 quarter-finals.
Another player missing from the tour is Tyrell Malacia, who missed the entire 2023-24 season due to injury. Malacia remains at Carrington to continue his rehabilitation program. Assistant coach Steve McClaren will also not travel to America and will instead work with the players returning from international duty at Carrington.
To foster a close working relationship before the new season, Manchester United’s new football leadership team, including Sir Dave Brailsford, Omar Berrada, Dan Ashworth, and Jason Wilcox, will join manager Erik ten Hag on the tour.
Manchester United has already played two pre-season friendly matches, losing 1-0 to Rosenborg in Norway and defeating Rangers 2-0 at Murrayfield. Amad Diallo and Jordan Hugill were the goal scorers in the latter match.
The tour will see Manchester United face Arsenal at the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California on July 27. They will then play Real Betis on July 31 at the Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, California. The tour concludes with a match against Liverpool at the Williams Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina on August 3.
In preparation for the tour, Manchester United has announced that Rasmus Hojlund will wear the No. 9 shirt for the 2024-25 campaign. Hojlund previously wore No. 11 but has now taken the shirt left vacant by Anthony Martial’s departure this summer. The No. 9 shirt has been worn by legendary players like Sir Bobby Charlton, Andy Cole, and Dimitar Berbatov.
Following the pre-season tour, Manchester United will play Manchester City in the Community Shield at Wembley on August 10 before starting their Premier League campaign at home against Fulham six days later. Overall, the pre-season tour provides an opportunity for new signings and returning players to build chemistry and prepare for the upcoming season.