The lead football reporter for Manchester United reported an unexpected development in the team's preparation for the new season. Harry Maguire, the 32-year-old defender who participated in the last friendly match against Leeds in Stockholm, is out of the group for the upcoming tour in the United States.
Club sources did not reveal the specific reason for the player's absence, but emphasized that they expect his inclusion before the end of the tour on August 3. Maguire will miss the matches against West Ham, Bournemouth, and Everton.
In parallel, several other players such as Alejandro Garnacho, Antony, Jadon Sancho, and Tyrell Malacia are out of the squad as they seek new teams. At the same time, new signings Bryan Mbeumo and Mateus Cunha will travel with the team.
Mbeumo officially joined the team for a sum of 65 million pounds on Monday, while Cunha recently became a father to his second child. Goalkeeper Andre Onana and defender Lisandro Martinez continue to recover from recent injuries.
The club confirmed that Martinez is still not sufficiently recovered to play or participate in group training after a major knee surgery. Onana suffered a muscle injury at the beginning of the pre-season preparation and is not expected to participate in any of the three matches.
Dutch forward Joshua Zirkzee was added to the squad that played against Leeds. Seventeen-year-old defender Goodwill Kukonki dropped out, while a young quintet of talents - Sekou Kone, Reece Munro, Ethan Williams, Bendito Mantato, and Jack Fletcher, retain their place in the group.
Manchester United's squad includes a total of 32 players, distributed in different positions - four goalkeepers, seventeen defenders, eight midfielders, and three forwards. The team will play three friendly matches - on July 26 against West Ham, on July 30 against Bournemouth, and on August 3 against Everton.
An interesting detail is that the tour coincides with the first season without European football for the club since 2014-2015, which may hint at something about coach Rúben Amorim's plans.