Headline: Manchester United Falls to AC Milan 4-2 in Pre-Season Finale
Manchester United faced a disappointing finale to their pre-season preparations, losing 4-2 to AC Milan just one week ahead of their Premier League opener against promoted Hull City on Saturday.
Despite taking the lead twice in Wroclaw, Michael Carrick’s squad could not hold on against a Milan team managed by former United boss Ruben Amorim.
On a positive note, Marcus Rashford, Kobbie Mainoo, and Lisandro Martinez made their first appearances of the pre-season, while captain Bruno Fernandes and Youri Tielemans played the full 90 minutes.
Currently, there are no new injury concerns for Carrick as the pre-season comes to a close. However, Mason Mount’s ongoing foot issue, which has sidelined him for nearly three matches following a precautionary response in Gothenburg, remains a concern.
Nonetheless, the final result casts a shadow over the pre-season, as such outcomes often influence public perception. The fact that three of Milan’s four goals came from close range raised eyebrows, with some fans questioning the offside status of one of the strikes.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek capped off the scoring for Milan, breaking past Martinez to slot a shot past Senne Lammens, who stood out as one of the few bright spots for United in an otherwise tough match.
Manchester United struggled particularly when Milan shifted their play to the right, leaving Luke Shaw to cover too much ground without adequate support. While the gaps between defense and midfield were not overly pronounced, United’s inability to close them allowed Milan to exploit vulnerabilities. Additionally, new signing Andrey Santos faced challenges that highlighted his lack of experience.
These issues will likely occupy Carrick’s thoughts on the flight back to Manchester as he prepares to launch the Premier League season. “We are disappointed with today,” Carrick said to MUTV after the match. “We didn’t play very well. There are no excuses.”
This was a pre-season finale to forget for Manchester United.
Just a week away from their Premier League opener at promoted Hull City on Saturday, Michael Carrick’s men took the lead twice against AC Milan before finishing on the wrong end of a 4-2 beating.
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First, the positives.
Marcus Rashford, Kobbie Mainoo and Lisandro Martinez all made their first appearances of pre-season. Skipper Bruno Fernandes and Youri Tielemans played for the full 90 minutes.
From the looks of it, there are no fresh injury concerns for Michael Carrick at the end of a six-match pre-season that has been largely positive, albeit with a foot issue for Mason Mount in Gothenburg seven days ago that was initially shrugged off as a precaution but has now kept the in-form midfielder out for almost three full games.
The problem, whether in pre-season or when the campaign proper begins, is that results shape narratives. And losing 4-2 in Wroclaw to a Milan side led by former United boss Ruben Amorim is not a good look.
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Three of the four Milan goals were close-range efforts. Those with the benefit of replays – there was no VAR in operation in Wroclaw – felt one of them was offside.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek rounded things off by racing beyond Martinez and not getting caught before he drove a shot past Senne Lammens, without whom the overall damage would have been worse.
Manchester United seemed to have a particular issue when AC Milan switched play to the right as Luke Shaw, who also played for the full game, had too much space to cover to get to the wing and not enough support.
The gaps between defence and midfield were not big, but they were not covered adequately by United. After an eye-catching first five games this summer, this was also a day when recent signing Andrey Santos’ inexperience was exposed.
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Such matters will give Carrick something to think about on the flight back to Manchester as he assesses how best to go about starting the Premier League campaign.
“We are disappointed with today,” Carrick told MUTV afterwards. “We didn’t play very well. There are no excuses.”
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