Milan 4, United 2: a rough final rehearsal
United go into the Premier League opener on the back of a 2–4 defeat to AC Milan in Saturday's friendly in Poland (1) (7). Ruben Amorim, now Milan's manager, beat his former club in his first pre-season win for them (3) (8). Goncalo Ramos and Samuel Chukwueze both scored against your team, and Ruben Loftus-Cheek added a late one (1) (4) (11).
The timing stings. Hull City away is six days after one of the poorest showings of the summer, leaving your team little room to fix the defensive gaps Milan kept finding.
Rashford played for United again after 20 months
Marcus Rashford made his first Manchester United appearance in 20 months in the defeat (8) (14). It is the first time he has played for the club since the previous season, and fans will be watching what role Carrick gives him at Hull City.
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The return was one of the few bright spots on a night that raised more questions than it answered.
Carrick: 'We have to perform better'
Michael Carrick did not dress it up. 'Perform better,' was the verdict after Saturday, and the message was direct: 'No excuses' (6) (13). He did find positives across pre-season, saying on the whole it had been very good with a lot to take from it (2).
The manager has been open all summer that more signings are needed before Deadline Day, and Saturday did nothing to change that.
United in the race for PSG teenager Mbaye
United are one of the clubs to have made an inquiry for Paris Saint-Germain teenager Ibrahim Mbaye (3) (16). Liverpool are preparing a first bid, and Bayern Munich and Porto are also named in the chase (3).
No fee is set, but the interest is confirmed as the window enters its final weeks.
Brugge on edge over Seys links
Club Brugge manager Ivan Leko addressed the links between left-back Joaquin Seys and United. 'If there's a lot of money on the table, it's obviously not easy to say no,' Leko said (15). He made clear the club's aim is still to build a team even better than last season (15).
You will not be the only side watching how Brugge handle that one.
Tielemans and Rashford both backed
Fara Williams rates the Youri Tielemans signing as massive and says Rashford's return is like adding a new player (9). High praise from the England legend, and it lands at the right time given Saturday's defensive worries.
United signed Tielemans, Andrey Santos, and Karl Darlow this summer while rivals spent more aggressively. The gap showed against Milan.
Fan-reaktioner
United fans on r/reddevils were blunt after Saturday, with much of the talk focused on Amorim and the former United players celebrating the 2–4 result. The mood is uneasy a week out from the opener, and the Loftus-Cheek and Ramos goals were shared widely as evidence of how open your team looked. See the thread here.
