Main talking points: Manchester United start pre-season in Oslo against Leeds
Manchester United fly to Oslo where they will face Leeds on Wednesday.
Manchester United start their pre-season fixture schedule on Wednesday evening with a friendly against Leeds.
It has been confirmed that Erik ten Hag will take a 26-man squad to the Norwegian capital, which doesn’t include Anthony Martial, Dean Henderson or Donny van de Beek.
Here are some of the main talking points ahead of the game:
First chance to see Mason Mount in action
There’s bound to be a bit of excitement tomorrow with Mason Mount set to make his non-competitive debut for United. His addition will bring more energy to our midfield and I’m looking forward to observing how he creates opportunities for other attacking players from deep positions. He could also play in Bruno Fernandes’ role tomorrow, with the Portuguese star yet to return to training.
Lisandro Martinez returns
Although Victor Lindelof did a good job standing in for Lisandro Martinez at the end of last season, United missed the Argentine. His presence on the pitch can’t be replicated by anyone else in the defensive department and United having any success next season will depend heavily on keeping key defenders — like Martinez — fit.
Goalkeeper dilemma
Tom Heaton is bound to start between the posts, but Matej Kovar would make more sense if Ten Hag is trying to implement a different style of football with the potential signing of Andre Onana. Kovar is a distributor as he showed during his time at Sparta Prague.
Captain who?
With Harry Maguire and Fernandes still to return to Carrington after the summer break and De Gea no longer at the club, it’s not yet obvious who will lead United out in Oslo. Some of the more experienced players travelling include Heaton, Martinez, Raphael Varane and Fred.
Predicted Manchester United XI vs Leeds
Manchester United pre-season schedule
Here’s who the Reds will play and where:
July 12: Leeds United – Ullevaal Stadion / Oslo, Norway | 16:00 BST
July 19: Lyon – Murrayfield Stadium / Edinburgh, Scotland | 14:00 BST
July 22: Arsenal – MetLife Stadium / New Jersey, United States | 17:00 BST
July 25: Wrexham – Snapdragon Stadium / San Diego, California (US) | 03:30 BST
July 26: Real Madrid – NRG Stadium / Houston, Texas (US) | 03:30 BST
July 30: Borussia Dortmund – Allegiant Stadium / Las Vegas, Nevada (US) | 02:00 BST