Maguire, Shaw and United's contract fringe players face defining pre-season at Carrington

Manchester United began pre-season training at Carrington on Monday, just 46 days after their 3-0 win at Brighton closed the 2025/26 season, with new head coach Michael Carrick getting his first look at a group of players who each have something significant to prove before the campaign proper begins.

Because of the World Cup, the squad’s return is staggered, meaning the first wave back are those whose nations failed to qualify or who were left out of their national team’s plans — a category that applies pointedly to Harry Maguire.

The 33-year-old centre-back was publicly vocal about his omission from Thomas Tuchel’s England squad, releasing a statement describing himself as “shocked and gutted” before elaborating on a disagreement with Tuchel in a New York appearance on The Rest is Football. England’s defensive vulnerabilities at the tournament did little to quieten Maguire’s case, but the argument now shifts from the international stage to Old Trafford. He is in the final year of his contract, and while United hold a 12-month extension option, it is not guaranteed to be triggered. Ayden Heaven and Leny Yoro are pushing for more minutes, and Lisandro Martinez along with Matthijs de Ligt — once he returns from injury — will be competing for the same starting berth.

Luke Shaw faces a similarly pivotal year. Few would have predicted before last season that Shaw would start every Premier League game for United, yet he did, and his place was widely considered earned. He too is now in the final year of his deal at Old Trafford, and the club has been linked with Newcastle’s Lewis Hall as a potential left-back addition. With that signing yet to materialise, Shaw enters pre-season as the incumbent and with a clear opportunity to press his case for a contract extension.

Patrick Dorgu showed promise last season but was most effective higher up the pitch, while Diego Leon is still developing, leaving Shaw as the clear first choice for now. Whether that remains the case by the time the season kicks off will depend heavily on what Carrick sees over the coming weeks.

For all three players, the early days of pre-season carry unusual weight — not just as fitness work, but as the opening chapter of what could be their final year at the club.