Online Reporter
ENGLAND’S 6-4 win against France last week was paradoxical: a game so entertaining it provided more proof that the World Cup third-place match should be scrapped.
Manchester United forward Joshua Zirkzee scored a goal akin to Jude Bellingham’s against Rosenborg by embarking on a sprint, dummying a Rosenborg defender and then the goalkeeper before rolling the ball in.
No right-minded United fan would now be clamouring for Zirkzee to be kept on the strength of the goal. Zirkzee barely celebrated his fine solo effort as he knew how insignificant it was.
Five-a-side games on 5G pitches would be more intense than United’s 5-0 thrashing of Rosenborg. That game, and the 1-0 loss to Wrexham in Helsinki, will be cause to reassess future pre-season schedules.
Steep ticket prices for an underwhelming fixture with World Cup participants still absent resulted in a half-empty crowd in Trondheim on Friday. United visited the Norwegian city two years ago, too.
The club’s first visit to Helsinki in 61 years against Wrexham did not draw out a bumper crowd, either. A little over 20,000 fans clicked through the turnstiles.
United are playing one more pre-season game than last year when they had a full squad available. The sole reason for that is money but supporters are not going to pay through the nose en masse to watch Zirkzee.
Ideally, United would jettison Zirkzee and bring in a replacement. But while Benjamin Sesko is building up his fitness and United wait for their World Cup internationals to return, Zirkzee is needed.
United are three signings short but if the transfer window was to suddenly close tomorrow they could argue that they have an adequately-sized squad.
Three goalkeepers, two right backs, two left backs, five centre backs, four central midfielders, two left wingers, two right wingers, a playmaker and two strikers. That 23-man list excludes Marcus Rashford and Manuel Ugarte.
Add three more recruits, shift Rashford and Zirkzee, and a 25-man list is a more complete number of senior players for a season back in the Champions League.
The Red Devils have been strongly linked with a move for Aurelien Tchouameni with Real Madrid looking to raise money to sign Rodri.
Whoever the manager or coach is, United’s squad management is constructed with academy talents in mind. Four of them scored in Trondheim and two have merit in Carrick’s core squad.
Harry Amass is one of the two aforementioned left backs.
The 19-year-old has not played since a hamstring injury ended his 2025-26 campaign in January but he had impressed in the Championship and is champing at the bit for more opportunities.
Amass had his issues with Ruben Amorim but Amorim also gave him his full debut against Wolves. Amass offered more than anyone in a red shirt in that 1-0 defeat in April 2025.
The United academy lads loaned to the Championship are the ones the club feel have a chance of returning to the first team. The second half of Amass’s 2025-26 season was a write-off but he is the right choice to compete with Luke Shaw on the left.
Shea Lacey, another left-footer, opened the scoring in Norway and has spent most of the past year with the United squad. He looked lively in his four first-team cameos.
Lacey, 19, is behind Bryan Mbeumo and Amad in the right-wing pecking order but he has earned a permanent promotion to senior squad member status. His direct dribbling threatened an equaliser at Aston Villa last December and he smacked the woodwork within seconds of his introduction at Burnley in January.
Ethan Williams and Jacob Devaney were both on the scoresheet against Rosenborg. The pair were on loan at Scottish Premiership sides Falkirk and St Mirren last season. —Sun.
