Steve Holland says Manchester United’s preparations are going to plan as Michael Carrick’s side prepare to face Leeds United in Dublin. Man Utd vs Leeds is the penultimate friendly of the summer, leaving Carrick with only two more matches to get his squad ready for the Premier League opener against Hull City.
United have based themselves in Ireland ahead of Wednesday night’s meeting with Leeds at Croke Park, having drawn 1-1 with Paris Saint-Germain in Gothenburg on Saturday.
Carrick’s options have increased significantly since that game. Marcus Rashford, Matheus Cunha and several other players have returned following their extended summer breaks, while Matthijs de Ligt has also been able to take part in some training as he continues his recovery from injury.
Holland has now offered an encouraging assessment of where United stand with less than two weeks remaining before competitive football returns.
The assistant coach told United’s official channels that “everything is going to plan” in terms of preparing the players for the season.
Man Utd vs Leeds gives Carrick another important opportunity
Wednesday’s game should provide Carrick with an important chance to increase minutes for returning players while continuing to assess the competition for places in his starting XI.
United still have another friendly against AC Milan in Poland on Saturday before travelling to Hull City for their Premier League opener on 22 August.
The Leeds game therefore comes at an important stage of pre-season. Carrick has already used the summer to hand opportunities to academy players while also integrating new arrivals and gradually bringing his World Cup players back into the group.
Supporters can find all the broadcast information, kick-off details and latest availability news in our Leeds vs Man Utd how-to-watch and team-news guide.
For Holland and Carrick, however, the priority is now making sure United arrive at Hull physically ready. Leeds represents the next opportunity to move closer to that target.
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