United spell

Young spent more than eight years at United, making 261 appearances. He joined United in the summer of 2011 from Aston Villa in a deal worth around £17m.

He arrived as a dynamic and goal-scoring winger but over the years, developed into a flying full-back.

Young made his competitive debut in the 2011 Community Shield, helping the Red Devils beat Manchester City 3-2. He registered an assist.

His Premier League debut came against West Bromwich Albion, a 2-1 victory. Young contributed to both goals. He assisted Wayne Rooney and forced an own goal. His first goals for United came during the famous 8-2 thrashing of Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal at Old Trafford in August 2011.

At United, Young won the Premier League, FA Cup, EFL Cup and the Europa League.

He proved a valuable asset for each of the managers who followed Sir Alex Ferguson and was entrusted with the captaincy under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Young left United in January 2020 for Inter Milan.

After leaving Inter, Young had two more spells in the Premier League with Aston Villa and Everton. He then signed for Ipswich Town on a free transfer in the summer of 2025. He made a handful of appearances for the Tractor Boys, helping them secure Premier League promotion.

Young announced his retirement a few weeks ago.

Admission

Speaking on the High Performance Podcast, Young explained that his body is breaking down.

He detailed the extent of his physical troubles, revealing that he requires hip replacement surgery.

The former United skipper said, “I went down on my hip in November and had an injection. I have always said to myself: ‘If my body is saying you need injections, there is a problem, you need to think about retiring.’ Basically I need a hip replacement, in November I was told I would need it in about 10 years time.”

“I got to January and was due to have another injection which would have got me through to the end of the season, as I was saying to the specialist ‘I know it is painful, but I want to make sure I do everything I can possibly do to help the team.’ About a week before I am about to have the injection, I go down on it in training and I am like ‘this is worse, I know it is a lot worse.’”

The 41-year-old revealed that after this episode, the specialist informed him that the issue had worsened and he had two years left to replace his knee.

“From January to the end of the season, I literally had two or three months where I couldn’t train it was that painful. I saw the specialist again and said ‘I’m not going out like this’. He said he didn’t want to give me another injection as it would weaken the area.”

“I asked him ‘are you telling me I can’t play football again, you can say it if you want, trust me if I get an opportunity to be back on the pitch, I’ll be back on the pitch.’ The last two months of the season I was training every day and he was like ‘it is not possible, you shouldn’t be training.’”

Young continued, “It would have been incredible to come onto the pitch for the last game of the season but for me to train like I did that week and for us to be promoted on the last day of the season, it was fitting.”

Young also added a Serie A winners’ medal to his collection during his spell at Milan.

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Back in the mix

Mazraoui was part of a group of United players who returned to training last week following the conclusion of his post-World Cup break.

He helped Morocco reach the quarter-finals of the tournament in North America, where they were eliminated by Kylian Mbappe’s France.

Mazraoui got his first taste of pre-season action last weekend as United played out a 1-1 draw with Paris Saint-Germain. He played the entire opening 45 minutes. He played a key role under Michael Carrick last season as United embarked on a superb run to secure Champions League football.

The 28-year-old is now looking to kick on and make his mark. He spoke to club media and revealed that he has been impressed with the attitude and work ethic in pre-season.

Mazraoui also hailed the youngsters who have stood out in pre-season, particularly Shea Lacey, the Fletcher twins and JJ Gabriel.

Mazraoui’s remarks

He said, “I think you see that Michael Carrick and the staff have clear ideas, not just this season, last season as well. I think they’re building it further. Of course, I’m just one week here but what I’ve seen in just one week is building on what we did last season and even getting better on that, in the intensity, in the ball possession, in being brave.”

“All those things we showed, the positive things. [And we’re] working on those moments, those things which we were not doing great last season, trying to do them better this season.”

He remarked about the youngsters, “I’m impressed by Shea Lacey, he’s doing a good job. Both Fletchers as well (Jack and Tyler), really impressed by them.”

“Of course, at 15 years if you make your debut – not officially yet – but JJ Gabriel, that’s also something not usual. It’s good that a club like this, a big club, has Academy players coming up.”

Mazraoui added, “I remember from my time when I was young and experiencing those moments [of coming away on pre-season trips], you see what the future can give you if you really get your chance and go for your chance, so I think that’s also a big motivation.”

The United man revealed that he is looking forward to Wednesday’s test against Leeds United at Croke Park.

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Unusual practice

United are enjoying a positive pre-season as the start of the new 2026/27 Premier League term nears.

So far, Michael Carrick’s men have faced Wrexham, Rosenborg, Atletico Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain. They face Leeds United and AC Milan before opening the season with a clash against newly promoted Hull City.

In addition to electing to remain in Europe for their pre-season preparations rather than undertaking an overseas tour, United have also diverged from convention by utilising Carrington as their primary base between matches.

Players have returned on a staggered basis, contingent upon their participation in the World Cup and the point at which their nations were eliminated.

Speaking to club media, Holland emphasised the benefits of United basing themselves at Carrington, explaining that it has given the coaching team greater control over conditioning and workload management, an approach that could prove beneficial when the competitive campaign begins.

Holland’s remarks

The 56-year-old said from United’s training camp in Ireland, “The difference between pre-season and the season is that, in the season, every decision you make as a coach is about what helps you to win the game.”

“Now [in pre-season] we’re in a period where we’re trying… every decision we make before, during, [or at] half-time in games, is about trying to give players the right minutes, trying to protect them at the right times, trying to push them at the right times, to get them to the perfect level for the start.”

He continued, “So it’s a different process, and it is complicated because, I mean, we had five or six training today [Monday] for the first time in a little while. There’s still another one to come back tomorrow.”

“So they are all at different levels and that requires a lot of attention, but we have an excellent staff that are across that. So it is what it is. It’s a challenge but we’ve had a good plan and, you know, that’s gone to plan at this stage.”

In terms of United making greater use of Carrington, Holland said, “We’ve been in control of the facilities, the pitch, the recovery.”

“Then being able to just travel in and out to play high-level games, returning to Carrington again for the following week, has given us the best possible chance, I would say, of being ready for the start, given that it’s a tournament year. I’m really happy with the programme that we’ve had, and how it’s gone to this point.”

Holland is excited about the new season and agrees that there is genuine cause for optimism, especially with Champions League football back at Old Trafford.

“I think generally speaking, everyone’s always optimistic at the start, but I think there is genuine optimism this year with how the team was last year, with some of the additions we’ve made. We want to be competitive in every tournament that we’re in, so yeah, it’s an exciting season for everyone.”

“Champions League football as well, which is where Manchester United, where we should be, but of course it’s not quite as easy as that. It’s a very competitive league. But it’s exciting to have it and we’re really looking forward to getting up and running now.”

United’s meeting with Leeds at Croke Park kicks off on Wednesday at 7.30 pm.

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