Man United name eight B-list players for Champions League opener against Sabah

Manchester United have added eight players to their Champions League B-list ahead of Thursday’s opening group-phase fixture against Sabah at Old Trafford, with manager Michael Carrick confirming the full squad picture for the club’s return to European football’s top tier.

Kobbie Mainoo and Leny Yoro headline the B-list additions after both were left out of United’s locked 25-man A-list squad submitted last week. Under UEFA rules, players born on or after 1 January 2005 who have been eligible to play for the club for two consecutive years since turning 15 — or three years including a loan spell — can be registered on the B-list, which can be updated ahead of each match provided submissions reach UEFA by the day before the game.

Joining Mainoo and Yoro on the list are left back Harry Amass, central defender Daniel Armer, Jack Fletcher and Tyler Fletcher — sons of former United midfielder Darren Fletcher — midfielder Jim Thwaites, and winger Shea Lacey. Two further youngsters, Ayden Heaven and Tynan Thompson, have instead been placed on the A-list because they have not been at the club long enough to qualify for B-list status.

The fixture marks United’s return to the Champions League almost three years after they finished bottom of their group in the 2023/24 season, a low point that Carrick has repeatedly cited as a benchmark to move beyond.

Speaking ahead of the Sabah clash, Carrick acknowledged the gap between the club’s current standing and its ambitions in the competition, while expressing confidence in the squad’s potential. “We certainly can achieve it, we’re capable of achieving it,” he said. “It’s up to us to then take the step of doing that.”

Carrick also pointed to the need for humility alongside ambition. “We’ve got to be humble enough and realistic enough to know where we’re coming from and where we want to get to,” he added. “We’re capable of some really, really good things, and especially on our day, we feel that we can go up against anybody and come out on top. It’s up to us to bring that over a consistent period.”

United’s appearances in the Champions League have become increasingly irregular since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013, and Thursday’s game represents an early opportunity for Carrick’s side to signal a more sustained presence in the latter stages of the tournament.