Report, result, goals as Sam Smith criticizes Premier League side’s pre-season friendly defeat with Santos ‘looking ready’ and Yoro at right back.
Sam Smith scored the winner for Wrexham six minutes before half-time as the Championship club beat Premier League rivals Manchester United in a friendly at Helsinki’s Olympic Stadium.
Shortly after meeting his crossbar from Mason Mount’s delivery, striker Smith went in unmarked as Phil Parkinson’s side held United to a throw-in.
United coach Michael Carrick has selected a strong starting line-up including Leny Yoro, Luke Shaw, Mason Mount, newly signed Andrey Santos, Bryan Mbeumo, Patrick Dorgu, Joshua Zirkzee and captain Harry Maguire.
Carrick made 11 changes at the break, with United in possession throughout but struggling to create meaningful chances.
Only Radek Vitek’s smart save with a leg prevented United from falling behind shortly after the restart, thwarting Davis Keillor-Dunn after the Wrexham newcomer had shone.
Man United vs Wrexham: Andrey Santos ‘on the ball’
Former United defender Wes Brown noted that Zirkzee “appeared to be running” and “kicked a bit” as half-time approached.
“[Santos] he’s on the ball,” Brown told MUTV of the £48 million midfielder from Chelsea. “He looks fit and ready.
“In a few more weeks, I’m sure we’ll see more of him. But it was good to see him in the starting line-up.”
Normally a full-back, Yoro was taking up a new position at right back. “He’s not a quarterback… but he looked sharp,” Brown said.
“He gets up and down the field, he’s very athletic. He can play there. That will be an option if Michael needs you.”
Manchester United vs Wrexham team
Manchester United starting XI: Tom Heaton, Leny Yoro, Harry Maguire, Ayden Heaven, Luke Shaw, Bryan Mbeumo, Mason Mount, Jack Fletcher, Andrey Santos, Patrick Dorgu, Joshua Zirkzee
Manchester United second half XI: Radek Vitek, Ethan Wheatley, Tyler Fletcher, Harry Amass, Toby Collyer, Daniel Gore, Shea Lacey, Ethan Williams, Jaydan Kamason, Jacob Devaney, Daniel Armer
Man United substitutes: Chido Obi, Dermot Mee, Jim Thwaites,
Wrexham team vs Man United
Wrexham starting XI: Arthur Okonkwo, Aaron James, Dan Scarr, Callum Doyle, Zak Vyner, Nathan Broadhead, Lewis O’Brien, George Thomason, Alexander James Moore, Bailey Cadamarteri, Sam Smith
Wrexham Substitutes: Lewis Brunt, Dominic Hyam, Conor Coady, Davis Keillor-Dunn, George Dobson, Kieffer Moore, Oliver Rathbone, Danny Ward, Ryan Barnett, Harry Ashfield, Rio Owen, Tommy Clayton, Oliver McTweed, Joe Rees, Dafydd Edwards
Manchester United vs Wrexham statistics
- Manchester United are unbeaten in all five competitive meetings with Wrexham, winning every game
- The Red Devils last faced Wrexham in January 1995, winning 5-2 in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
- Carrick guided Manchester United to third place in the Premier League last season, and qualified for the Champions League
- Wrexham finished seventh in the Championship last season, missing out on the play-offs by two points
- Wrexham opened their pre-season with a 0-0 draw against Wisla Krakow
Manchester United’s 2026/27 pre-season fixtures
After their trip to Helsinki, United head to Norway, Sweden and Ireland for matches in July and August.
Here is the full list.
| The day | They don’t oppose | Location | Start time is BST | ET | PT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, July 18 | Wrexham | Olympiastadion (Helsinki, Finland) | 16:00 | 11:00 | 08:00 |
| Friday, July 24 | Rosenborg | Lerkendal Stadion (Trondheim, Norway) | 17:00 | 12:00 | 09:00 |
| Saturday, August 1 | Atlético Madrid | Strawberry Arena (Stockholm, Sweden) | 14:00 | 09:00 | 06:00 |
| Saturday, August 8 | PSG | Nya Ullevi (Goteborg, Sweden) | 16:00 | 11:00 | 08:00 |
| Wednesday, August 12 | Leeds United | Croke Park (Dublin, Ireland) | 19:30 | 14:30 | 11:30 |
Why did Man United choose their opponents for the pre-season tour?
United have a large following in Scandinavia and Dublin, making the trip commercially important and an opportunity for fans in those areas to see the team.
They played at Solna’s Strawberry Arena, where they will face Atleti this summer, in a 0-0 draw with Leeds in 2025.
There could be a huge crowd for the game at Croke Park, which is the fourth largest stadium in Europe after Barcelona’s Camp Nou, Wembley Stadium and Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu, which holds 82,000 people.
The last football match at Croke Park was in November 2009, when former Manchester City striker Nicolas Anelka scored the only goal as France began a successful FIFA World Cup qualifier against the Republic of Ireland by winning the first leg.
Director of football Jason Wilcox suggested that United have “the best fans in the world” and will be able to “connect” with them while giving their team tough tests against strong teams.
Manchester United’s pre-season opponents: Wrexham, Atleti, PSG, Leeds
Wrexham’s run of three successive promotions ended in 2025/26 but the club – its profile and financial strength boosted by investment from Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney – impressed in the Championship, quickly finishing outside the play-off places.
An inexperienced United side lost 3-1 to Wrexham in a friendly at the Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego in July 2023.
Rosenborg are the most successful team in Norwegian football but have not won their domestic title since 2018 and have not appeared in European competition since 2019, when they were part of the Europa League group stage.
United visited Rosenborg’s Lerkendal Stadium in July 2024, losing 1-0 under Amorim’s predecessor, Erik ten Hag.
Eleven-year Spanish champions and three-time Europa League winners Atleti beat United in a friendly in Oslo in July 2022 and knocked them out of the 2021/22 Champions League, winning 2-1 on aggregate and 1-0 at Old Trafford.
Diego Simeone’s side did not challenge for the title in the 2025/26 Liga but reached the semi-finals of the Champions League, beating Brugge and Tottenham in stoppage time before being knocked out by Arsenal.
PSG and United have taken very different paths since the French giants exited the Champions League in the last 16 at Old Trafford in 2019, losing on the now-defunct goals rule with Marcus Rashford’s 94th-minute goal for the hosts.
The game was played at the Ullevi Stadium, where Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored his first goal for United after four minutes following the striker’s arrival from PSG in 2016, helping his new club beat Galatasaray 5-2 in a contest that included two goals from Red Devils top scorer Wayne Rooney.
Man United pre-season friendlies: How to buy tickets
Ticket details are available on the United fixtures page.
When does Man United’s 2026/27 season start?
United visit Hull City in their first game on Saturday, August 22 at 12:30 BST.
