It is great to be talking about actual matches again, even if they are just exhibition games. The “silly season” gets draining after awhile. And Manchester United just happen to be in the very first 2024-25 preseason friendly that features an English side. They’ll travel to Rosenborg, in Norway, and manager Erik ten Hag is limited in options when it comes to team selection.
His strongest side possible is filled with guys that the club wants to sell, or is trying to sell.
Manchester United at Rosenborg FYIs
Kickoff: Mon July 15, Lerkendal Stadion, Trondheim, Norway
Competition: Club Friendly
Man United Preview Content: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
Fun Fact: The two teams have never previously met competitively.
United have reportedly set a price for Antony, but no one seems to want him. Victor Lindelof has been pegged to move away/reunite with former manager Jose Mourinho at Fenerbahce, but that move seems dead in the water. Casemiro is…Lord only knows at this point. There was reported interest from Saudi Arabia, but nothing actually came close to happening, and talking more about it gives me an ice cream headache/brain freeze.
Then you have Aaron Wan-Bissaka, where reports of his exit have been greatly exaggerated.
Finally, Mason Greenwood is persona non grata at United, but still a part of the club’s roster at this point. Also, Jadon Sancho is back in training, and we have a detailed update on that post, shortly.
The players at the Copa, (copa cabana! the hottest spot north of Havana! At the Copa..sorry, my bad) and the Euros are obviously unavailable here. Finally, we would like to say how great it feels to be posting match previews again. The last one we did, for the UCL Final, was back on May 26, so the 47 day period of mostly just transfer talk is now over!
Man United Starting XI Prediction at Rosenborg
Andre Onana; Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Wily Kambwala, Casemiro, Victor Lindelof; Hannibal Mejbri, Amad Diallo, Mason Mount, Antony, Marcus Rashford
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.