Michael Carrick has earned the right to call the shots at Old Trafford after an excellent start to his Manchester United reign.
The former United and England midfielder was appointed interim head coach in January following the sacking of Ruben Amorim and won 12 of the final 17 games of the season, losing just twice, as the club finished third in the Premier League to secure Champions League qualification.
It was enough to land Carrick the job on a permanent basis, with the ex-Middlesbrough boss signing a two-year deal last month.
Michael Carrick makes major change after landing Manchester United permanent job
Carrick quickly won fans over by attending several United academy games following his appointment as interim head coach, which contrasted starkly with Amorim who reportedly failed to watch a youth match during his time at Old Trafford.
That showed the 44-year-old was not afraid to do things differently – and he has continued in that vein by scrapping one of the club’s long-standing traditions.
United have embarked on pre-season tours to exotic locations including Asia, Australia and North America every summer since 2002, but this year they will be closer to home.
Instead, the club have confirmed six friendlies across Europe, with the Mirror reporting that Carrick made the decision ahead of his first summer as permanent boss.
United start pre-season with a game against Championship side Wrexham in Helsinki, Finland, on Saturday, July 18, before flying to Norway to face Rosenborg in Trondheim six days later.
Carrick’s men then have two friendlies in Sweden, taking on Spanish giants Atletico Madrid in capital city Stockholm on Saturday, August 1 and back-to-back Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain in Gothenburg seven days after that.
United then head to Dublin to meet Premier League rivals Leeds United on Wednesday, August 12, in what will be the first match between two domestic football teams held at the Irish capital’s historic Croke Park stadium.
They finish their European tour by facing Italian giants AC Milan in Wroclaw, Poland, on Saturday, August 15 – the weekend before the start of the 2026/27 Premier League season.
Carrick will hope the lack of a long-haul pre-season trip will ensure his players are fresher when they start the new campaign, particularly with many representing their countries at World Cup 2026, which will reduce their amount of time off over the summer.
United played just 40 matches in 2025/26 as they exited both cup competitions at the first hurdle and missed out on European football, but that number will rise by at least eight next term due to their participation in the league phase of the Champions League.
