Tyler Fletcher received a surprise call up to Scotland’s World Cup squad following the injury to Billy Gilmour. Having only just made his debut last weekend in Scotland’s 4-1 win over Curacao, the teenager booked his seat on the plane to the USA.

The youngster made his debut for Manchester United earlier this season and was named the Denzil Haroun Reserve-Team Player of the Year. Tyler is now living his father’s dream. Darren, who made over 200 appearances for United and is now the U-18 manager, played for Scotland during a time when they didn’t qualify for international competitions. He made 80 appearances for his country but never played in the Euros or World Cup.

“He was like: ‘My whole career I didn’t go to a Euro’s or a World Cup’ and I have done it after 45 minutes of football. He is buzzing for me and he is so happy and going to come out for every single game hopefully.”

Now training with the Scotland team in the USA, Fletcher has talked about his hopes for the next few weeks ahead.

It’s a good level and it’s a tough challenge. Obviously the heat is hard to train in but I’m comfortable and I feel like I’m ready to go and play. Everyone wants to create history, that’s what we all want to do. On a personal note, I want to enjoy myself, enjoy the experience and hopefully get on the pitch and play in a World Cup.

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Noussair Mazraoui is one of the 13 Manchester United players who will be representing their countries at this summer’s World Cup and will be facing teammate Mattheus Cunha next weekend when Morocco take on Brazil.

Speaking to the club’s media, Mazraoui has discussed his ambitions for his country in this tournament.

When you have time, we talk about the club, everything. This subject as well, especially [with] Cunha, because he’s probably going to play left or right winger, [if he’s] on my [side], then [it’s] 1v1, so it’s going to be fun.

I think we’ve been doing really good on an international level as well as in Africa itself. So yeh, expectations are much higher than they were four years ago because we’ve reached that and because we’ve done pretty well the last four or five years.

So yeh, the expectations are bigger and it’s up to us to handle that kind of pressure and to show again that you can do the same thing that you did four years ago, and it’s not just luck and it’s going to be like a constant level. I think that’s our biggest ambition for us.

Mazraoui was part of the Morocco side that reached the semi-finals at the last World Cup in Qatar that was played in December.

Yeh, it was a little bit different. I’m talking like I’ve done four World Cups, it was my first one! I think it’s different, of course, mid-season, it’s different in every aspect, physically, mentally as well. End of the season, you have the whole season [that you have played before it], just half-season [like Qatar was] is different. But what I remember from that World Cup is we just went in there with a good fight.

Everybody was free in their head. We knew we had a strong team. We knew we could do something, but we never expected to be in the semi-final. So that was a big surprise for us, I think for the whole world, and we enjoyed every minute of that.

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Tyler Fletcher’s dreams came true this week when he received a late call up to the Scottish World Cup squad following the injury to Billy Gilmour.

Just a week ago, Fletcher got a call up to the squad for the final game before the tournament begins, with manager Steve Clarke describing it as “a very positive experience for the players” to “get an insight into what we look for in the senior squad environment”.

Having started his international youth career with England, Fletcher made the switch to Scotland and has since played for them at every level from U-16 to U-21. He made his debut for the first team in their 4-1 win over Curacao last weekend.

Speaking to the Scottish FA, Fletcher reflected on what the last week has been like for him.

It’s been a crazy week! I didn’t really expect it but I am just taking it in my stride and loving every minute of it so far. In the changing room, after I found out Billy [Gilmour] got injured and I was obviously gutted for him.

The manager come up to me and said ‘I might not be the last time I see you on this trip’. I was a bit like: ‘Wow’. Then, the next morning, I got a call saying do you want to go to the World Cup. I was speechless and obviously said yes! I’ve got nothing with me, I’ve got nothing in my suitcase. I’ve got no boots, I am getting my boots sent over today actually.

It was in the back of my head that if I go and make an impression. I could go and make it into the first team and be around it. But to go to the World Cup a week after training is something I never thought of it or could of dreamed of.

I knew Scott [McTominay] from United, he has helped me a lot. Kenny McLean has been top with me a – really top guy. One of the best players I have ever trained with, he is so good, all of them are and it is a great team to be around.

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Manchester United enjoyed an outrageously good transfer window last summer, bringing in four players who could all be classed as a success to varying degrees.

Senne Lammens was named The Athletic’s signing of the season after preventing more xG than any other goalkeeper in the league. Costing just £18m, Lammens has been an absolute steal, and at 23-years-old he should have his best years ahead of him. Even if he was bang average, he would be a huge upgrade on Andre Onana who spent the season on loan in Turkey, but the fact he added such confidence and solidity to our defence has meant he’s been a godsend.

Our forward line of Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo and Mattheus Cunha all managed to score 10+ goals in the Premier League, which is a good return for their debut campaigns. Sesko started the season off slowly under Ruben Amorim but went from strength to strength under Michael Carrick. His mentality is spot on and you can see him progressing well.

Mbeumo’s form dropped off towards the end of the season but it’s hard to complain when he’s scored goals in victories against Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool in his first year with the club. 14 Premier League goals and assists is a solid start to life at United.

Cunha also scored some great and important goals for us, including the late winner at the Emirates after Arsenal had just equalised, the winner away to Chelsea as well as an early goal in the 3-2 win against Liverpool at home. Big goals in big games for both him and Mbeumo.

Now, after securing Champions League football next season, it’s as important as ever that we continue this positive trajectory in the transfer window. With Casemiro leaving the club this summer, and possibly Manuel Ugarte too, it’s vital we recruit well in midfield.

A name that has appeared regularly from reliable sources is Atalata’s Ederson. His rise to the top of European football began in Brazil chasing a dream. At just 12-years-old after his mother paid for a one-way ticket to Sao Paulo, as that’s all she could afford so he could pursue football. He recently recounted the story to press in Italy, with his mother saying: “‘We have the money to go, but not to come back.’ Luckily there was no need to return.”

Starting his career with Desportivo Brasil, a club United formed a link with back in 2008, he moved around Brazil’s Serie A. Coaches in Brazil have spoken about his resilience and adaptability, traits that are obvious when watching him play now. He started out in defence before moving into midfield, which helps explain why he reads danger so well and looks comfortable covering large spaces.

Ederson’s career path has not been straightforward. He moved through clubs including Cruzeiro, Corinthians and Fortaleza before arriving in Italy with US Salernitana 1919 in 2022. He made such an immediate impact during Salernitana’s incredible relegation escape that Atalanta moved quickly to sign him permanently. Since then, he has developed into one of the most highly-rated midfielders in Italy.

The greatest moment of his career so far undoubtedly came in Atalanta’s Europa League-winning campaign in 2024. In a side full of aggressive runners and technically gifted attackers, Ederson became the engine. He covered enormous distances, broke up play constantly and drove the team forward in transition. Atalanta’s run to the trophy included knocking out Liverpool before beating German champions that season, Bayer Leverkusen. Ederson’s performances during the knockout rounds elevated his reputation across the continent.

What makes him such an attractive signing for Manchester United is that he solves several problems at once. United’s midfield has often looked either too passive or too chaotic over the last few seasons. Ederson brings balance. He is physically strong, aggressive in duels and excellent under pressure. Atalanta supporters frequently describe his work as “undercover” because so much of what he does goes unnoticed unless you focus specifically on him. He wins second balls, fills gaps defensively and keeps attacks moving with simple but intelligent passing.

His stamina is another major asset with him covering a huge amount of ground every game. That energy is exactly what United’s midfield has lacked at times, especially when trying to support younger players.

That is where the potential partnership with Kobbie Mainoo becomes exciting. Mainoo’s biggest strengths are his composure, close control and ability to glide through pressure. What he needs alongside him is somebody willing to do the ugly side of midfield play without sacrificing technical quality. Ederson looks tailor-made for that role.

At Atalanta, he has shown he can adapt to different midfield partners and systems. Sometimes he sits deeper and protects the defence, other times he drives forward and presses aggressively higher up the pitch. That flexibility would allow Mainoo to play with more freedom. Instead of constantly worrying about defensive transitions, Mainoo could focus on progressing possession and linking play in advanced areas.

The comparison many fans make is with a younger, more mobile version of Casemiro, but Ederson is arguably cleaner technically and far more dynamic carrying the ball. He is not a flashy playmaker, but he does almost everything else at a high level. United supporters have spent years watching midfields get overrun physically. Ederson looks like the type of player who could finally change that.

Having missed out on Carlo Ancelotti’s World Cup squad, the midfielder would be able to hit the ground running too, and enjoy a good pre-season with a whole host of first team players who aren’t going to the USA this summer.

At £35-37m, as has been reported, he could represent excellent value. It does feel more of a gamble going for a player who hasn’t got proven Premier League experience though and the pace of the football here might be a challenge for him.

After the success of last summer and the promise of more games in the season ahead, we need this window to be spot on, and if Ederson is our first signing, let’s hope he mirrors the progress our new lads had last season.

The post Is Ederson the right player to build on this season’s success? first appeared on Republik Of Mancunia: A Manchester United Blog.

Ahead of our final game of the season away to Brighton, Michael Carrick has spoken to the press about Manchester United’s plans in the transfer market. With Casemiro certainly leaving and Manuel Ugarte likely too, we need to bolster the midfield.

With Kobbie Mainoo back in the thick of it since the sacking of Ruben Amorim, Carrick has praised the way he has developed and discussed the balance required in picking the right players to compliment the squad.

There is a balance, because we don’t necessarily recruit a player just so he can play with one other single player. It’s about finding the balance within the group. I’m speaking here in a fairly general way. We don’t recruit a player so he can play with one single player, but there is certainly a dynamic and a balance to find. And what’s fantastic about Kobbie is that he knows how to do so many things well. He’s evolved so much over the past four or five months, and it’s him, I don’t take credit for that, it’s him who did it. He’s shown he can do so many things, so it makes it a bit easier to bring in players to play with a player like Kobbie.

Mainoo is the only United player in the England squad for the World Cup, and technically Marcus Rashford, continuing the tradition of a Red being in every England World Cup squad.

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Harry Maguire isn’t my favourite player and for a long time I wish we had never signed him and didn’t want him anywhere near our club.

A couple of months in to the 2021-22 campaign, we got absolutely thrashed by Liverpool at home. While the whole team, with special mention to Luke Shaw, also had a horror show of a performance, Maguire was horrible that game. He was more culpable for some goals than others but played a part in all five. It was shocking.

Two weeks later, we lost 2-0 to City, and we were awful. It was so depressing. It turned out to be Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s penultimate game in charge, with captain Maguire doing little to get his team going. He was singled out for criticism in the press and from the fans.

A few days after the derby day defeat he was playing for England in a World Cup qualifier against Albania and scored. There have been a lot of infuriating moments for United fans over the last decade or so, but watching Maguire knee slide and cup his ears in celebration tipped me over the edge. How dare he. The captain of United, seeing us suffer back to back home thrashings against our biggest rivals, and he’s giving it the big ‘un because he scored against… Albania.

With this context in mind, to illustrate how far Maguire has come, I think he’s had a great season for United and I’m really glad he’s sticking around. I wouldn’t necessarily want him in the starting line-up every week but he’s done a great job for us this year.

There have been times when Maguire has been shocking for United but would still get in every England squad. So it’s unfathomable that now, after one of the greatest seasons in his career, he’s been left out of Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad.

For years now, Maguire has been the easiest player in the country to mock. Every mistake becomes a meme, every defeat somehow circles back to him, and every success is quietly ignored. Yet when England needed calm heads in major tournaments, he was almost always there. When Manchester United took the captaincy off him, left him out of the first XI, he dug in deeper to show what he could do. He wasn’t a disruptive force or negative presence in the dressing room. He just got on with it and as a result he, and United, have reaped the rewards.

United’s return to the Champions League was built on improved defensive resilience and Maguire was central to that turnaround. His leadership became especially important during difficult spells when younger players around him looked overwhelmed.

England reached a World Cup semi-final in 2018 with him at the heart of defence. They reached the final of Euro 2020 with him outstanding throughout the competition. Even during periods where his club form dipped badly, his England performances rarely did.

What adds insult to injury is the fact Dan Burn is going to be on the plane to the States. Burn has had a solid career and a decent season with Newcastle, but Maguire’s experience at elite international level is miles ahead. Maguire has played under the pressure of World Cups, penalty shootouts, knockout football and finals. Burn has never experienced anything close to that intensity for England.

Former United defender Steve Bruce admitted he was “absolutely shocked” by the decision, saying Maguire had “never let England down.” Supporters across social media reacted similarly, with many arguing that even if Maguire was not first choice, his experience alone justified selection.

Maguire himself aired his frustration with the decision, as did his family, which has received some criticism. He said he was “shocked and gutted” after being informed by Tuchel that he would not be travelling to the World Cup. In comments discussed around his appearance with Rio Ferdinand, there was a clear feeling that Maguire believed his performances had earned him a place. It is difficult to disagree with him. He said he was confident he could have played “a major part” for England after the season he had produced.

The reaction from his family showed just how painful the decision was. His mother Zoe described the omission as “disgraceful”, while other family members publicly defended him and questioned how a player with his form and experience could be ignored. His wife Fern also joined in with the criticism.

Football fans often talk about resilience and mentality, but few modern players have shown more of either. He became a symbol of ridicule online, yet somehow kept turning up, kept playing and eventually forced people to reconsider their opinions. Younger England players could actually learn a lot from having someone like him in the dressing room.

Tuchel may eventually be proven right. England might go deep into the tournament without Maguire and this will all be irrelevant. But right now, leaving him behind feels like a mistake driven more by image than football logic. Tournament football is rarely won by fashionable picks or social media favourites. It is won by experienced players who understand pressure, stay calm in chaos and deliver when it matters most.

Harry Maguire has done exactly that for England for nearly a decade. Tuchel’s had a mare.

The post Maguire Deserves So Much More From Tuchel and England first appeared on Republik Of Mancunia: A Manchester United Blog.

Manchester United confirmed Michael Carrick as the permanent manager this week after a hugely successful interim spell. Taking charge for almost half of the season, United picked up more points than any other club in the league. United fans will be left to wonder ‘what if?’ after the delayed sacking of Ruben Amorim after the mortifying 15th place finish of the season before.

Carrick has given an interview with his former teammate Wayne Rooney

That’s the buzz, isn’t it, in the end? You know, that’s what we’ve got to aim for. It’s where we want to be as a club and it’s not even so much for me. It’d be an incredible thing for me to be able to do, but just to see this club lifting trophies and winning leagues and challenging for Champions Leagues, that’s the buzz. That’s what gets us out of bed every morning and [we want to] enjoy the grind of the summer and come back stronger for next season. We know what it takes, you know? I know what it takes and hopefully I can give that experience a little bit to the players and they can feed off it, and we can keep pushing for more.

I must admit, I felt on Sunday [when we played Forest], there was a feeling, it felt a little bit different. It felt really… I don’t know, there was a real togetherness. There was a real kind of enjoyment. Which, for me standing there, is quite powerful, to be honest, to then see that kind of going through the whole stadium – and the supporters [are] feeling that, and being excited about coming back. I think we want to come to the stadium, wherever that is from, and support Manchester United. Looking forward to what can happen, being excited, going away with a smile. But it’s always been like that, it always should be like that, and [we want to] keep pushing forward to bring success here, for sure.

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Kobbie Mainoo was pushing for a loan move away from boyhood club Manchester United in the January transfer window. He hadn’t started a single Premier League game under Ruben Amorim and with the World Cup approaching, Mainoo had to consider his options. He had started the last final England had played in less than two years ago but now wasn’t even in the squad.

Amorim was sacked and his replacement, Michael Carrick, has played the lifelong Red in every minute possible. As a result, Mainoo has been shortlisted for the Premier League Young Player of the Year award and was recalled to the England squad.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Mainoo has reflected on what this season has been like for him.

When you’re not playing many games, or any games, you consider all things. But at the forefront of my mind was always to play for Manchester United and continue to play for this club that I’ve grown up at.

When there’s new managers, they have their way that they want to play and if they think you don’t fit that, then you don’t fit that. All I can do is try and work and train to maybe see it in a different light.

Going from playing nearly every game to not playing as often is always going to be a difficult adjustment. It was good for me in terms of learning [about] myself, the game, and patience. How to schedule my life and how I train and how I work and getting into routines.

It’s difficult when you don’t even come on as a sub of course. But I’d say my family and my friends helped me see the light at the end of the tunnel. They knew it would swing back my way at some point, so I just had to be patient.

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Manchester United had a difficult game at the Stadium of Light on Sunday afternoon and could be fairly happy with the point they earned. With Casemiro unavailable, Mason Mount started the game, and Joshua Zirkzee played up front in place of Benjamin Sesko.

After the game, Michael Carrick refused to single Zirkzee out for criticism when asked about his performance.

To be honest, for all the boys, I thought it was just a tough game. An away game coming here which is challenging, there were certain times when Josh linked the play really well and certain times we left him a little bit isolated. That’s how it goes. I think he played a real part for the team and I understand it’s not easy for any player who hasn’t played for a little bit to come into a game. We’re not judging any individual on one performance today anyway.

With Champions League football for next season already wrapped up, Carrick was frustrated by the suggestion that the draw against Sunderland was a result of complacency.

I honestly get offended by that, when people are accusing you of that. The way the players have prepared for the game and the way they left the changing room, we faced a tough game. It’s fine. If we weren’t in a good head space and motivated, I think we lose the game today. Sunderland played really well at certain points of the game and made us work for it. I think the fact of our pride in ourselves and each other, the responsibility playing for this great club, to be part of it, certainly motivation and focus is not a reason why we we’re going to be brilliant or maybe have a performance where it becomes a little bit more challenging. Whether that’s today or the next two games, that won’t be the case whether it’s affected it.

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Manchester City confirmed yesterday that the FA Youth Cup Final will be played in their academy stadium with a tiny capacity of just 7,000. As a result, Manchester United fans have been given a pitiful allocation of just 968 tickets. When you consider 60,000 reds attended our last FA Youth Cup final in 2022 it’s a slap in the face for a club that has such a long and rich history with the competition.

With City unable to find a date where they can host the game at the Etihad, United offered Old Trafford as a venue for the final, which was turned down by the blues who had been drawn as the home team for the final. It’s not just the fans and kids who City are denying access to a live final, but their own academy players of having the first opportunity of their career to play in front of a huge crowd.

Manchester United Supporter’s Trust (MUST) released a statement urging for the location of the final to be swapped to Old Trafford.

The news that the FA Youth Cup Final, a great fixture which has heralded so many superstars of the future, is to be played in a stadium of just 6,000 people is a disgrace. Last time United were in the final we had 67,000 fans in Old Trafford so allowing this massive game to be played in front of such a paltry few fans is letting down supporters and denying these young footballers the biggest night of their careers so far. The FA needs to step in and ensure the game can be played at either the Etihad or Old Trafford. Time to put fans first for once.

United have a long-reaching history in the competition winning it more times than any other club, 11, and also being runners up on four occasions. We were the first team to win it with our legendary Busby Babes side who won it for five consecutive years. Duncan Edwards was the first player to score a hattrick in the competition. We hold the record attendance of 67,492 for our victorious final against Nottingham Forest in 2022.

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