Manchester United finish seventh at international tournament

Manchester United have discovered already this season how quickly tournament football can turn from opportunity into disappointment.

Michael Carrick ended last campaign by guiding United to third in the Premier League, restoring Champions League football and creating genuine optimism around Old Trafford.

But the new season has repeatedly refused to follow that script.

The Carabao Cup offered one route towards silverware, only for United to disappear at the first hurdle for the second consecutive season.

They led Brighton 2-0 inside ten minutes at Old Trafford before collapsing to a 3-2 defeat.

CentreDevils highlighted how United failed to control momentum after their explosive start, eventually suffering their first home defeat after leading at half-time since 1984.

Three days earlier, Carrick’s side had also lost the Manchester derby despite City playing much of the game with ten men.

United’s fortunes in tournament football have not been universally bleak, however.

Another side recently returned from Scotland carrying silverware after becoming the first English winners of their competition.

Manchester United suffer international tournament defeat

United’s Under-12s have finished seventh out of 32 teams at the Malinwa International Cup in Belgium.

Colm Murphy, who runs the reliable RedYouthUnited academy account on X, reported for The Peoples Person that United advanced from a group containing RC Lens, Pisa and Anderlecht.

A 1-0 victory over Club Brugge then sent them into the quarter-finals, where AZ Alkmaar ended their hopes with a narrow 1-0 win.

United eventually secured seventh place emphatically, beating Lazio 3-0 in their final placement match.

The result came during a busy weekend for the academy.

United’s Under-16s enjoyed even greater success in Scotland, becoming the first English club to win the Craig Brown Memorial Tournament.

They defeated Preston North End 4-1 in the final, while Mane Soares was subsequently crowned player of the tournament despite playing above his age group.

Two tournaments, two very different finishes – but another valuable weekend for United’s developing generations.