Sam Smith was on song for Wrexham’s winner six minutes before half-time as the Championship club beat Premier League opponents Manchester United in a friendly at Helsinki’s Olympic Stadium.
Shortly after heading against his own crossbar from Mason Mount’s delivery, forward Smith slotted in unmarked as Phil Parkinson’s side caught United out from a throw-in.
United head coach Michael Carrick picked a strong starting side including Leny Yoro, Luke Shaw, Mason Mount, new signing Andrey Santos, Bryan Mbeumo, Patrick Dorgu, Joshua Zirkzee and captain Harry Maguire.
Carrick made 11 changes at half-time, with United dominating possession throughout but struggling to create meaningful chances.
Only Radek Vitek’s smart save with a leg prevented United from falling further behind soon after the restart, thwarting Davis Keillor-Dunn after the Wrexham newcomer broke clear.
Man United vs Wrexham: Andrey Santos ‘on the ball’
Former United defender Wes Brown observed that Zirkzee “seemed to run off” a “little knock” with half-time approaching.
“[Santos] got on the ball,” Brown told MUTV of the £48 million midfield signing from Chelsea. “He looks fit and ready.
“In a couple more weeks, I’m sure we’ll see a lot more from him. But it was good to see him in the starting line-up.”
Usually a centre-back, Yoro took up a new position at right-back. “He’s not a right-back… but he looked very sharp,” said Brown.
“He gets up and down the pitch, he’s very athletic. He can definitely play there. That’ll be an option if Michael needs it.”
Manchester United team vs Wrexham
Manchester United starting XI: Tom Heaton, Leny Yoro, Harry Maguire, Ayden Heaven, Luke Shaw, Bryan Mbeumo, Mason Mount, Jack Fletcher, Andrey Santos, Patrick Dorgu, Joshua Zirkzee
Manchester United second-half XI: Radek Vitek, Ethan Wheatley, Tyler Fletcher, Harry Amass, Toby Collyer, Daniel Gore, Shea Lacey, Ethan Williams, Jaydan Kamason, Jacob Devaney, Daniel Armer
Man United substitutes: Chido Obi, Dermot Mee, Jim Thwaites,
Wrexham team vs Man United
Wrexham starting XI: Arthur Okonkwo, Aaron James, Dan Scarr, Callum Doyle, Zak Vyner, Nathan Broadhead, Lewis O’Brien, George Thomason, Alexander James Moore, Bailey Cadamarteri, Sam Smith
Wrexham substitutes: Lewis Brunt, Dominic Hyam, Conor Coady, Davis Keillor-Dunn, George Dobson, Kieffer Moore, Oliver Rathbone, Danny Ward, Ryan Barnett, Harry Ashfield, Rio Owen, Tommy Clayton, Oliver McTweed, Joe Rees, Dafydd Edwards
Manchester United vs Wrexham stats
- Manchester United are unbeaten in all five competitive meetings with Wrexham, winning every match
- The Red Devils last faced Wrexham in January 1995, winning 5-2 in the FA Cup fourth round.
- Carrick guided Manchester United to third place in the Premier League last season, securing Champions League qualification
- Wrexham finished seventh in the Championship last season, missing the play-offs by two points
- Wrexham opened their pre-season with a 0-0 draw against Wisla Krakow
Manchester United pre season fixtures 2026/27
After their trip to Helsinki, United head to Norway, Sweden and Ireland for fixtures during July and August.
Here’s the full list.
| Date | Opponents | Venue | BST start time | ET | PT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat, July 18 | Wrexham | Olympiastadion (Helsinki, Finland) | 16:00 | 11:00 | 08:00 |
| Fri, July 24 | Rosenborg | Lerkendal Stadion (Trondheim, Norway) | 17:00 | 12:00 | 09:00 |
| Sat, August 1 | Atlético Madrid | Strawberry Arena (Stockholm, Sweden) | 14:00 | 09:00 | 06:00 |
| Sat, August 8 | PSG | Nya Ullevi (Goteborg, Sweden) | 16:00 | 11:00 | 08:00 |
| Weds, August 12 | Leeds United | Croke Park (Dublin, Ireland) | 19:30 | 14:30 | 11:30 |
Why have Man United chosen their pre season tour opponents?
United have large fanbases in Scandinavia and Dublin, making the tours commercially important and a chance for supporters in those areas to see the team.
They played at Solna’s Strawberry Arena, where they will encounter Atleti this summer, in a 0-0 draw with Leeds in 2025.
There could be a vast crowd for the fixture at Croke Park, which is the fourth-largest stadium in Europe behind Barcelona’s Camp Nou, Wembley Stadium and Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu, offering a capacity of 82,000.
The last football match at Croke Park was in November 2009, when former Manchester City striker Nicolas Anelka scored the only goal as France began a successful FIFA World Cup play-off against the Republic of Ireland by winning the first leg.
Director of football Jason Wilcox suggested United have “the best fans in the world” and would be able to “connect” with them while giving their squad stern tests against strong teams.
Manchester United pre season opponents: Wrexham, Atleti, PSG, Leeds
Wrexham’s run of three successive promotions ended in 2025/26 but the club – whose profile and financial strength has been transformed by investment from Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney – impressed in the Championship, finishing immediately outside the play-off places.
A very inexperienced United side lost 3-1 to Wrexham in a friendly at the Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego in July 2023.
Rosenborg are the most successful team in Norwegian football but have not won their domestic title since 2018 and have not featured in European competition proper since 2019, when they were part of the Europa League group stage.
United visited Rosenborg’s Lerkendal Stadium in July 2024, losing 1-0 under Amorim’s predecessor, Erik ten Hag.
Eleven-time Spanish champions and three-time Europa League winners Atleti beat United in a friendly in Oslo in July 2022 and knocked them out of the 2021/22 Champions League, winning 2-1 on aggregate courtesy of a 1-0 victory at Old Trafford.
Diego Simeone’s side did not mount a title challenge in the 2025/26 Liga but reached the semi-finals of the Champions League, beating Brugge and Tottenham during the knockout phase before being ousted by Arsenal.
PSG and United have taken markedly different trajectories since the French giants exited the Champions League in the last 16 at Old Trafford in 2019, losing on the now-defunct away-goals rule via a 94th-minute Marcus Rashford goal for the hosts.
The game is at the Ullevi Stadium, where Zlatan Ibrahimovic took four minutes to score his first United goal following the striker’s arrival from PSG in 2016, helping his new club beat Galatasaray 5-2 in a contest also containing two goals by Red Devils all-time top scorer Wayne Rooney.
Man United pre season friendlies: How to buy tickets
Ticket details are available on United’s fixtures page.
When does Man United’s 2026/27 season start?
United visit Hull City in their opener on Saturday, August 22 at 12:30 BST.
