Manchester United lose 4-2 to AC Milan in final pre-season friendly in Poland

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP)—Manchester United's pre-season campaign ended with a decisive 4-2 defeat by Ruben Amorim's AC Milan in the Polish city of Wroclaw on Saturday. Michael Carrick's side led twice, through Harry Maguire and Patrick Dorgu. But they were undone in defence as AC Milan scored three goals from close range before Ruben Loftus-Cheek raced clear to add a fourth and give former United manager Amorim a win against his old club. This was only United's second defeat in a run of six preseason matches, which included a win over Atletico Madrid and a 1-1 draw with European champions Paris Saint-Germain. "On the whole, (pre-season has) been very good, I think there a lot of positives to take from it," Carrick told MUTV, United's in-house television station, in a post-match interview. But the former United and England midfielder added: "We're disappointed with today. We didn't play well today, so there's reasons for that. In some ways, we need to learn from it, we need to improve, some of the boys playing some of their first minutes." Saturday's match saw Marcus Rashford make his first United appearance since returning from a loan spell with La Liga champions Barcelona. United captain Bruno Fernandes missed a penalty for the second successive friendly, with Milan goalkeeper Lorenzo Torriani diving to his right to stop the shot after the Red Devils skipper had fired wide against Leeds in midweek. Fernandes did at least provide the second-minute corner that was headed powerfully by Harry Maguire to give United the lead. But Milan levelled after a defensive mix-up allowed Goncalo Ramos to break into the area and square for Samuel Chukwueze to roll home. United were awarded their penalty just before half-time after Koni De Winter tugged back Youri Tielemans. United regained the lead after Dorgu seized on a loose backpass from Filippo Terracciano, but Milan equalised again when Chukwueze's wayward shot was turned in by Alphadjo Cisse at the far post. Rashford, frozen out by Amorim and loaned out to Premier League rivals Aston Villa before his temporary spell at Barcelona, came on as a substitute on the hour. Milan went ahead in the 68th minute when Chukwueze's cross was headed home by Ramos, and three minutes later former Chelsea midfielder Loftus-Cheek sprinted through for Milan's fourth goal. "A lot of the boys will be better for the minutes," said Carrick. "We've got a good squad, so there's decisions to be made." Portuguese boss Amorim was sacked as United manager in January after 14 months in charge, with Carrick, now in charge full-time, leading the club to a creditable third-place finish in the Premier League after initially being brought in on a caretaker basis. United begin the 2026/27 English top-flight season away to newly-promoted Hull on August 22.

Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick (Picture: PA) Manchester United will wrap up their pre-season preparations against AC Milan this afternoon. After beating Leeds United on penalties in Dublin on Wednesday, United have travelled to Poland to take on a team managed by the man Michael Carrick replaced in January in Ruben Amorim. Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo are both back in training and could be in line to face the manager who froze them both at out at Old Trafford. Amorim is still searching for his first win as Milan boss after draws with Celtic and Inter and a heavy defeat to Chelsea. Get the latest transfer news every morning Sign up to our daily football newsletter for personalised updates on who your team is trying to sign and who won't be around next season. Metro’s LIVE matchday blog will bring you all the build-up, confirmed team news and starting XIs, goal updates and minute-by-minute coverage: Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source

Manchester United lost against AC Milan (Picture: Shutterstock) Manchester United suffered a 4-2 defeat against AC Milan in their final pre-season friendly ahead of the new Premier League season. United went ahead within two minutes when Harry Maguire headed home from a corner, but were pegged back when Samuel Chukwueze tapped into an empty net after sloppy defending from Michael Carrick’s side. Bruno Fernandes saw a penalty saved by Lorenzo Torriani just before half-time, but the Red Devils did go ahead just six minutes into the second half when Patrick Dorgu capitalised on a Milan error to get on the scoresheet. But the Italian side, managed by former United boss Ruben Amorim, levelled the game up again when Alphadjo Cisse tapped home at the far post. Get the latest transfer news every morning Sign up to our daily football newsletter for personalised updates on who your team is trying to sign and who won't be around next season. United made a raft of changes shortly afterwards, with Marcus Rashford, Kobbie Mainoo and Lisandro Martinez coming on for their first minutes of pre-season. But those changes left Carrick’s side a tad disjointed and Milan swiftly punished as goals from Goncalo Ramos and Ruben Loftus-Cheek secured their first win of Amorim’s tenure. Relive the pre-season encounter with Metro’s LIVE matchday blog below: Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source

Rashford in line to make his first appearance for United since December 2024 (Picture: Niall Carson/PA Wire) Manchester United take on AC Milan in their final pre-season match this afternoon. After beating Leeds on penalties in Dublin on Wednesday, they have made the trip over to Poland to take on a team manager by the man Michael Carrick replaced in January in Ruben Amorim. It could be an awkward reunion for the Portuguese head coach and Kobbie Mainoo, the player who he froze out of the first-team a year ago. Mainoo failed to start a single Premier League match under Amorim during the first-half of last season but was immediately reinstated by Carrick following his appointment in January, playing a key role in United’s third place finish. Get the latest transfer news every morning Sign up to our daily football newsletter for personalised updates on who your team is trying to sign and who won't be around next season. Marcus Rashford is another who found himself out of favour during Amorim’s reign. The forward left Manchester to join Aston Villa on loan just two months after Amorim’s arrival after repeatedly questioning his application in training. Amorim at one point said he would rather play his 63-year-old goalkeeper coach Jorge Vital than Rashford, who he believed was ‘not giving his maximum.’ Rashford is in line to make his first appearances for the club since December 2024 and now appears set to remain part of the squad heading into the new season. He and Mainoo are likely to get their first minutes of pre-season and will undoubtedly have a point to prove even in a friendly environment. Lisandro Martinez is also likely to get his first pre-season minutes after his World Cup campaign with Argentina. Mason Mount, who shone earlier in the summer, was not included in the squad after coming off injured in the draw with Paris Saint-Germain while Benjamin Sesko will also not be involved. The striker has missed every pre-season game, still recovering from a shin injury he suffered last season. Man Utd vs AC Milan kick-off time and TV channel Man Utd vs AC Milan kicks off  at the Tarczynski Arena at 3:45pm BST this afternoon (Saturday 15 August). The match will be broadcast live on MUTV. Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source