Manchester United's Pre-Season Setback Against AC Milan

Manchester United’s final dress rehearsal for the new Premier League season turned into a warning siren.

Michael Carrick’s side were taken apart 4-2 by a ruthless AC Milan in Poland, a collapse that exposed familiar defensive frailties just days before their opener at Hull City on August 22.

United actually started like a team ready for business. After just two minutes, Harry Maguire bullied his marker, climbed highest and powered a Bruno Fernandes corner into the net. A textbook set-piece, a perfect start, and a goal that briefly suggested a comfortable evening.

Milan had other ideas.

Samuel Chukwueze, who would go on to terrorise United down the right, struck the first blow. In the 37th minute, Goncalo Ramos picked him out and the winger swept home the equaliser, wiping away United’s early advantage and shifting the mood.

United still should have gone in ahead at the break. They earned a penalty, Fernandes stepped up, struck it firmly – and saw it saved. A big moment wasted, and a missed chance to steady themselves before the storm.

The second half began with another twist. Filippo Terracciano’s sloppy back-pass invited trouble, and Patrick Dorgu accepted the gift, pouncing to restore United’s lead. At 2-1, Carrick’s men had a platform.

They then fell apart.

Milan poured forward, repeatedly targeting United’s right side. Chukwueze was relentless, and United’s defensive structure simply disintegrated. Alphadjo Cisse drifted in at the far post to make it 2-2, finishing off another Chukwueze-led raid and underlining just how exposed that flank had become.

The pressure kept coming. Chukwueze turned provider again, this time hanging up a cross for Ramos to nod Milan in front for the first time. United’s back line looked static, short of cohesion and confidence.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek then drove the point home. Exploiting the same vulnerable channel, he surged in to add a fourth and complete a dominant Milan turnaround, leaving United’s defenders staring at each other for answers that never came.

Carrick did not try to sugar-coat what he had seen.

“Today, we’re disappointed with it. We didn’t play well today,” he told reporters afterwards. “There are reasons for that and we need to improve. Some of the boys were playing their first minutes. Different reasons – but no excuses. We didn’t play very well.”

The defeat sits in the context of a mixed pre-season. United drew 1-1 with Leeds United before winning on penalties, held Paris Saint-Germain to a 1-1 draw, and edged Atletico Madrid 2-1. Performances had been encouraging in patches, the work on the training pitch visible enough.

This, though, was a step backwards.

Carrick, however, refused to let one chaotic evening define the mood heading into the new campaign.

“Overall, we are ready for next week. A lot of the boys will be better off for the minutes,” he said. “We’ve done a lot of work on the training pitch, the performances in the games have been pretty good. We’re still in good spirits going into next week.”

There were at least some reasons for optimism amid the wreckage. Marcus Rashford made his first United appearance in 20 months, coming off the bench on the hour mark wearing the No. 9 shirt. It was his first outing for the club since December 2024, when Amorim was still at the early stage of his Old Trafford tenure.

Rashford’s return, alongside the comebacks of Lisandro Martinez and Kobbie Mainoo, hands Carrick valuable options. It also sharpens competition for starting spots just as the season begins to take shape.

“We’ve got a good squad. There are decisions to be made. Of course it is,” Carrick added. “We’ve got another week’s training to get ready for next week. There’s a whole different feeling when it’s the first league game of the season. We will be there.”

The question now is whether United’s defence will be there with them when the real stuff starts at Hull.