Third time lucky for Youri Tielemans
New boy Youri Tielemans is set to start for Michael Carrick’s side tonight – and he revealed it was third time lucky when he joined last month.
“There had been two times that I spoke with the club, but it did not achieve anything,” he recalled.
“I was very calm. I was not expecting much this summer, to be fair. I was just focused on my football, focused on the World Cup and trying to perform my best for my country.
“But you know every summer something can happen, and obviously I was aware of the clause.
“I am very thankful to Aston Villa. I owe them the world. It is a great club, we did amazing things, and they have put me back to my best level. But there are clubs above Villa, and Manchester United is one of them.
“It is a great achievement for any footballer to end up here. It means you have done well in your career. But it does not end there. I want to be successful.”
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Will Castle12 August 2026 18:10
Football returns to Croke Park after 17 years
Dublin’s iconic Croke Park plays host to this evening’s friendly-in-name-only clash between Manchester United and Leeds.
Football has not been played the home of Gaelic games since 2009, with the Republic of Ireland national team swapping Croke Park for the newly-built Aviva Stadium in 2010.
The last game to be played there? Ireland’s 1-0 first-leg defeat to France in the World Cup play-offs, courtesy of Nicolas Anelka’s winner. The second leg went down in greater infamy, thanks to a certain Thierry Henry and his hand.
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Will Castle12 August 2026 18:01
James Trafford is set to make his Leeds debut after missing their win over Leipzig, a match which saw Wilfred Gnonto star off the bench. The Italian could be rewarded with a start as a result.
Predicted Leeds XI: Trafford; Muharemovic, Rodon, Bijol; Bogle, Longstaff, Ampadu, Justin; Wilson, Calvert-Lewin, Gnonto.
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Will Castle12 August 2026 17:45
Marcus Rashford is back with the Man United squad as Michael Carrick looks to reintegrate the winger back into the fold.
Kobbie Mainoo may also play his first minutes of pre-season, while Benjamin Sesko is available after missing the entirety of pre-season so far with injury.
Senne Lammens and Matheus Cunha both missed the PSG game through illness and are also back in contention to feature, but Mason Mount will not feature after picking up a knock in that match.
Predicted Man United XI: Lammens; Dalot, Heaven, Maguire, Shaw; Santos, Tielemans, Fernandes; Amad, Mbeumo, Dorgu.
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Will Castle12 August 2026 17:40
Manchester United’s clash with Leeds kicks off at 7:30pm BST on Wednesday 12 August at Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland.
How can I watch it?
The match will be shown free-to-air on ITV1, while also being available to subscribers on MUTV. Fans can stream the match on ITVX.
Will Castle12 August 2026 17:35
Leeds have had a relatively eye-catching summer with James Trafford, Tarik Muharemovic and Harry Wilson all high-profile additions. Wins over Liverpool and RB Leipzig have shown encouraging signs and Daniel Farke will be keen to keep the momentum rolling ahead of their Premier League opener against Nottingham Forest next Saturday.
A general view showing the interior of Croke Park (PA Archive)
Will Castle12 August 2026 17:30
Hello there and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of Manchester United’s pre-season clash with rivals Leeds at the iconic Croke Park.
We’ll bring you all the latest team news, build-up and updates from the clash.
Will Castle12 August 2026 17:10