Man Utd files: Midfield transfer update, season ticket fiasco fallout rages on and pre-season sale struggles

MANCHESTER UNITED have not ruled out the possibility of ending the transfer window without a third midfielder. United recently enquired about Aurelien Tchouameni as Real Madrid would like to sign Rodri from Manchester City. Manchester United are still set for a busy end to the summer window Credit: Getty They are not guaranteed to buy a third midfielder Credit: Getty Although Tchouameni is a standout defensive midfield option, United sources have stressed they still have a “long list” of options. That tallies with reports early this year when United were monitoring Elliot Anderson, Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali before their costly transfers. Sign up for the Man United newsletter Thank you! Alex Scott, Carlos Baleba and Adam Wharton are three other midfielders United have tracked. Tchouameni appeals to United as he is an outright defensive midfielder, something they are completely devoid of with Manuel Ugarte sidelined for the remainder of the calendar year. United are bound to cover themselves and not promise a third midfield incoming. Twenty years ago, the United chief executive David Gill promised “two world-class signings”. United bought Michael Carrick and Tomasz Kuszcak, who were not world-class. It still worked out as United won the 2006-07 Premier League title – one of their best under Sir Alex Ferguson – after a four-year drought. TICKED OFF PART ONE THE FALLOUT continues from the Manchester United season ticket fiasco after several fans were locked out of their accounts. Most read in Sport United’s attempted clampdown was to target bots and established touts but, as reported in the week, many season ticket holders log in on multiple accounts for various reasons, such as to help family and friends. SUN VEGAS WELCOME OFFER: GET UP TO £100 BONUS Ticket + hotel room for Man Utd games GET tickets to see Man Utd at Old Trafford with our hand-picked deals. The packages include an official match ticket and an overnight stay in a nearby hotel. Man United Home Games⚽ 30 Aug v Ipswich — BOOK HERE⚽ 13 Sep v Manchester City — BOOK HERE⚽ 10 Oct v Tottenham Hotspur — BOOK HERE⚽ 24 Oct v Bournemouth — BOOK HERE⚽ 7 Nov v Aston Villa — BOOK HERE More games available here. *If you click on a link in this article, we will earn affiliate revenue. Multiple United fans we have spoken to have taken umbrage with the club’s claim that there is no ticketing process that requires a supporter to access another person’s account. One season-ticket holder does for relatives and friends to apply for away games. They said: “It spreads the opportunity of getting away tickets and all are valid applications.” Another fan has delayed their appeal before the deadline in the hope that there is a satisfactory resolution. Two fans had suspensions overturned as they were logged into one account on multiple devices and were able to prove their whereabouts. Many instances that have led to the suspension of accounts have been when more than one account logged into one device, which has been classed as “sustained activity.” The Manchester United Supporters’ Trust has been “inundated” with complaints by supporters affected. There is also concern among supporters that the club will not refund those affected. Well-placed sources say the fan groups are privately “hammering” the club and certain figures now understand and realise the damage they have inflicted. Fans are unhappy after being locked out of ticket accounts Credit: Alamy It comes amid a clampdown on touts and bots snapping them up Credit: Shutterstock Editorial TICKED OFF PART TWO UNITED are struggling to shift tickets for their pre-season friendlies in Scandinavia. Nearly 11,000 tickets are still available for their match against Rosenborg in Norway on Friday. The Lerkendal Stadium has a capacity of 28,569 and 10,805 tickets remain unsold 24 hours before kick-off. The most expensive non-VIP ticket is priced at 1,495 Norwegian Krone – £116.43. The cheapest ticket is 945 Norwegian Krona (£73.60). The decision to play four friendlies in Scandinavia has risked tour fatigue as this is the fifth summer running that United have played in the region. United faced Rosenborg in Trondheim at the start of their pre-season schedule two years ago and lost 1-0. Then-manager Erik ten Hag was critical of United’s performance after he picked two different XIs for each half. With United’s squad still depleted as they wait for their World Cup participants to return, they have named a similar squad to the one that travelled to Helsinki for the 1-0 defeat to Wrexham last week. The expectation is that Carrick will again field two different XIs for each half against Norway’s most successful club. United decided to remain in Europe in pre-season for the first time since 2002, excluding the Covid-affected summers of 2020 and 2021, having toured the United States for the last three years. The club had the offer to tour Asia but declined. Thousands of tickets have gone unsold for pre-season games as well Credit: Getty It has been describe as a “reality check” Credit: Getty A source familiar with United’s ticketing strategy said the unusual tour schedule has been a “reality check.” United’s 1-0 defeat to Wrexham in Helsinki last week drew a crowd of 20,069 and 19,000 tickets had to be sold to turn a profit. With United due to take on more eminent sides in Atletico Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Leeds United and AC Milan next month, their opening Scandinavian friendlies have served little purpose other than to provide the players with minutes and rake in income. Tens of thousands of tickets are available for the friendly with Atletico in Stockholm next week. Just 16 blocks are sold out at the 50,000-seater Strawberry Arena, where United drew 0-0 with Leeds last year. There have been better sales for the match with PSG in Gothenburg on August 8. United have not played in Gothenburg for ten years and around 30,000 tickets have been flogged at the 43,000-capacity Ullevi stadium. The presence of back-to-back Champions League winners PSG will have bolstered sales, although their France World Cup contingent are unlikely to appear. PSG take on United three weeks on from the weekend of the World Cup final and third place play-off match, so Ousmane Dembele, Bradley Barcola, Desire Doue and Fabian Ruiz almost certainly won’t play. United play Leeds at Croke Park in Dublin on August 12 before ending their pre-season schedule against Ruben Amorim‘s AC Milan in Wroclaw on August 15. OFF THE GROUND UNITED and Wrexham were locked in a race to get their private jets out of Helsinki last weekend, knowing losers would be kept waiting on the runway for up to 30 minutes. Wrexham’s squad made a swift exit to their bus, though goalscorer Sam Smith did pause in the corridor to catch up with a family friend and Phil Parkinson spent the longest speaking to the media out of the managers. United appeared to be in far less of a hurry, with their first-half players trickling through the mixed zone on Saturday and four stars stopping to chat along the way. United lost the game, but won the race for take-off. Wrexham had to wait to leave Helsinki last weekend Credit: EPA United players beat them out of the stadium and off the runway Credit: Getty WILL-I-AM THE same scout behind Ayden Heaven‘s move to Old Trafford struck again. Emerging Talent scout at United, Sam William, s worked alongside head of recruitment Christopher Vivell and director of football Jason Wilcox to seal Tynan Thompson’s transfer this week. Williams rejoined United four months after Ineos took over football operations in February 2024. He initially left United in 2022 to become recruitment head at Ipswich Town, supporting their promotion to the Premier League. FINNISH LINE CARRICK took a morning jog through the city centre before United’s opening pre-season friendly at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium. Carrick and his 22-man squad, half of which were academy youngsters, spent time signing autographs for fans outside the team hotel in the Finnish capital on Friday afternoon. Carrick thought a Finnish fan was handing him an item to sign, but it turned out to be a gift for him to keep. Carrick spent time signing autographs in Norway Credit: Getty He went for a run out in Trondheim Credit: Getty JACE AGAINST TIME CARRICK watched academy training sessions at Carrington the week before the senior players returned for pre-season. Carrick, whose son Jacey has been confirmed as a first-year scholar this season, has been spending time assessing the development of players at Under-21 and Under-18 level. In Helsinki, he fielded an entirely academy-produced side in the second half of the pre-season game against Wrexham and roughly the same group of players will be involved against Rosenborg in Trondheim on Friday. United signed Spurs youth winger Thompson for £4million on Monday and are closing in on three 16-year-old midfielders, including Liverpool winger Isaac Konde. OROZ-GOAL COLOMBIAN defensive midfielder Cristian Orozco officially completed his transfer from Fortaleza CEIF following his 18th birthday. The highly-rated U17 captain joined the club’s Under-21 setup in Germany for pre-season training. Club officials hold the young leader in high regard, and this trip will act as a crucial testing ground. Senior coaches and academy staff will closely assess his performances throughout the camp to gauge whether he is ready to make the leap toward the first-team fold. He could well tread the same path as fellow South American teen Diego Leon, who was put with the U21s last summer after arriving from Cerro Porteno for an initial fee of £3.3million. Comment now