Nine starters look close to nailed on for Manchester United's opening Premier League trip to Hull City, with two positions still live heading into the final week of pre-season. Michael Carrick has already sketched out most of the XI, and the shape of it is starting to look familiar.

Carrick's near-final XI

The clearest clue came in the form of Carrick's own nine-name list: Senne Lammens, Ayden Heaven, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw, Santos, Fernandes, Amad, Mbeumo and Dorgu. That leaves right-back and one midfield role as the last real calls before Hull.

Lammens has strengthened his case with a brilliant point-blank save to deny Ruben Loftus-Cheek in the first half against AC Milan. He is not the only young player pushing into the frame, but his spot now looks far more secure than it did at the start of pre-season.

The other player who will need careful handling is Lisandro Martínez. He was introduced at the hour mark against Milan and is expected to be eased back into the team after reporting late to pre-season. Martínez also logged 651 minutes across 7 World Cup appearances and finished with a 7.22 rating, so the cautious approach makes sense.

The two remaining calls

Carrick said Luke Shaw is guaranteed to start at left-back, but the right side is still unresolved. He has viewed Diogo Dalot's start against Milan as a possible indicator for the role against Hull, while Noussair Mazraoui and Leny Yoro remain part of the wider defensive conversation.

The midfield question is the other live one, with Tielemans gaining ground after a line-breaking pass that would likely have produced an assist had the offside flag not gone up. Benjamin Sesko has not played a single minute in pre-season because of a shin injury, which removes one more selection variable from the opening-day picture.

United go into the opener in 16th place, and even though pre-season form does not count for points, Carrick is clearly trying to keep the best of it intact. The strong run has already pushed several names ahead of the pack, and the only real uncertainty now is which right-back starts and who fills the final midfield slot.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →