Manchester United were much more impressive in their second preseason friendly, thrashing Rosenborg 5-0 in Norway, after having dropped their first friendly against Wrexham 1-0. The Scandanavian tour continues with a Saturday matchup against Atletico Madrid in the Swedish capital city of Stockholm. Man United have a few injury concerns ahead of this friendly, including Lisandro Martinez, who is dealing with yet another problem. Martinez wouldn’t feature in this match anyway, as he’s on post-World Cup holiday, but now it looks like he could end up missing most of the preseason.
Manchester United Preseason Tour 2026
Preseason Friendly #3 vs Atletico Madrid
Kickoff: Saturday, Aug. 1, 2026
Venue: Strawberry Arena, Stockholm, Sweden
Manchester United Preview Content: Team News Predicted Starting XI Details on United’s Long-term Injured
Man United Team News
Lucha now has a hamstring injury, but it’s not thought to be serious. According to mutliple reports, he should be back for the regular season opener against Hull City on August 22. One guy who won’t be available for that match is central defender Matthijs de Ligt, as it appears his return timeline may be delayed once again.
According to reports, his expected return should come at some point closer to the fall now, and not when the upcoming campaign begins.
Meanwhile Benjamin Sesko is still dealing with that shin injury, and he thus continues to be managed carefully.
It’s highly unlikely that he features in this one.
United are of course still without their players on post World Cup holiday, but two of them, #1 goalkeeper Senne Lammens and the newly acquired Youri Tielemans, have returned early. Both are now at the Carrington training ground.
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 USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, Ratings and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.