It was a touch past the hour mark in Norway when Michael Carrick pushed the button.
Eight young men on the cusp of first-team football entered the field at Rosenborg’s Lerkendal stadium. These were players eager to push themselves into consideration for the Manchester United senior team proper, or perhaps put themselves in the shop window for a possible move ahead of the looming 2026-27 season.
Dan Armer, Chido Obi, both 18, Jacob Devaney, twins Jack and Tyler Fletcher, all 19, Ethan Williams, 20, Dan Gore, 21, and 22-year-old Toby Collyer joined Shea Lacey, Harry Amass and Jaydan Kamason, also all 19, on the pitch.
All played with the kinds of intensity and verve that have become trademarks of young players associated with United. They combined excellently with a collection of recognisable first-team players to ride out 5-0 winners in Friday’s warm-up friendly against a side four months into their March-to-December league season.
United’s first-half breakthrough came via Lacey in the 31st minute, latching onto a through ball from Joshua Zirkzee before cutting inside his defender and finishing at the far post. He will hope to add to his senior team minutes throughout pre-season, and his defensive application last night should stand him in good stead.
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Zirkzee added the second before Devaney punished slack defending from a set-piece in the 63rd minute. He looks to be another multi-functional prospect; a midfielder happy enough to moonlight at centre-back and offer passing from deep. Amass would tap in a low cross from Kamason at the back post in the 72nd minute before Williams made it five in the 84th.
It was of note that four of the five goalscorers — Lacey, who started, Devaney, Amass and Williams — have been developed in the academy at United.
After the win, head coach Carrick said: “We’re pretty happy. The second half, the younger players coming on, I thought they were fantastic and played as a team really well and deserved what they got in the second half.”
Youngsters aside, it was an impressive performance in Trondheim, Norway’s fourth-largest city. United were smooth when working with the ball and stubborn when working against it.
The first half offered a continuation of the 4-2-4 defensive shape Carrick and his coaching staff have been developing.
The idea appears to be to force opponents wide if they opt to build out slowly from their own penalty area. If an opposition centre-back opts against being funnelled wide, one of new signing Andrey Santos or Mason Mount snaps into a tackle to stop momentum building in central midfield.
Pre-season outings like this one allow a level of experimentation and distillation. United’s players are getting to grips with their new tasks and subplots for the coming weeks of warm-up matches are forming.
Jacob Devaney scores the third against Rosenborg (Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)
Will Ayden Heaven, another 19-year-old, become Harry Maguire’s partner at centre-back for the opening Premier League game of the season away to promoted Hull City on August 22? Leny Yoro again featured at right-back yesterday.
Could he follow a defensive path similar to Jules Kounde at Barcelona, tucking in from the right when United have the ball to allow the players on the left to get forward?
Santos’ eye for interceptions and line-breaking passes appear to dovetail well with Mount’s ability to read an opposition pressing scheme: can these two be Carrick’s go-to midfield pairing for domestic cup games?
And then there’s Patrick Dorgu.
The 21-year-old grows more confident when starting on the left wing, stinging the outside of Rosenborg’s goalpost wth a solid effort in the 28th minute. Should the Dane, signed 17 months ago as a wing-back, be rebranded as a forward, or will he continue to be Carrick’s multi-functional problem-solver?
These are questions to raise confidence levels among United fans, rather than confused eyebrows. New foundations are forming; structures that will be built upon, if given proper time.
The fun stuff truly began in the second half, with Kamason and Amass on for Maguire and Luke Shaw. With Yoro joining Heaven at centre-back, the new pair turbocharged United’s play from full-back as the team came alive with every quick regain of the ball.
One should not get carried away by pre-season results, especially the ones recorded in July, but this was a performance that brought many smiles to those watching. Confidence can be born of experience, but also from being courageous. United players found the best of both worlds to run out victors over their Norwegian hosts.
To go back to the latest batch of academy talent, they have given Carrick and his coaching staff a “nice problem” for the remainder of this pre-season tour, which also takes in Sweden, the Republic of Ireland and Poland before that trip to Hull.
What’s to be done with a player of Amass’ talent, for example? Will Carrick and his assistants move to keep him close and see if he can deputise for Shaw at left-back this season, or would he be better improved by seeking a loan move to a team pushing for promotion in the Championship, after spending the previous one in that division with Sheffield Wednesday and Norwich City? How can Kamason best utilise his playing time with Bryan Mbeumo ahead of him in the pecking order? What is the plan for Lacey, who made three Premier League appearances, all as a substitute, last season?
These are good players, in a good moment, all asking good questions of a coaching team looking to find new ways to turn good into great.
Not every figure from this 5-0 win will feature for United across the 2026-27 season proper, but if this young group can maintain their performance level across the summer, then it could be the start of something promising.
Some footballing questions invite worry. Others provide new pathways to winning.