Leeds United predicted XI and photo gallery vs Manchester United as first friendly encounter looms

The game is scheduled to take place in Oslo on July 12, at the Norwegian national team’s Ullevaal Stadion, where scores of Leeds’ Scandinavian contingent are expected to be in attendance.

United will not face the men from Old Trafford this season following relegation at the end of the 2022/23 campaign, therefore this summer’s friendly will be Leeds’ one-and-only opportunity to gain bragging rights over their arch-rivals, unless they are drawn together in either of the domestic cup competitions.

Due to the number of players within Leeds’ squad who participated in fixtures for their countries this summer, both at senior and youth international level, the group will return to Thorp Arch in three separate tranches.

Those who did not represent their respective nations are due back on Monday, July 3, while the likes of Brenden Aaronson, Max Wober and Rasmus Kristensen among others, who competed in the UEFA and CONCACAF Nations Leagues, are set for a return to West Yorkshire on July 10, one week later.

Those who have been at the Under-21 European Championships, in several cases in direct competition with each other, will return in stages depending on when involvement with their countries came to an end.

Crysencio Summerville, Leo Hjelde, Kristoffer Klaesson and Willy Gnonto were all eliminated at the group stage, but Illan Meslier and Charlie Cresswell have progressed to the knockout rounds and will report back later than their clubmates.

As a result, the starting XI Leeds United’s new head coach fields against the Red Devils is highly likely to consist of the 26 first-team players who returned to pre-season testing and training on day one.

Here is the YEP’s predicted line-up for that fixture in ten days’ time.