Manchester United arrange secret friendly with Lausanne-Sport as both Ratcliffe clubs struggle

Manchester United will use the international break to face Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Swiss club Lausanne-Sport in a behind-closed-doors friendly, according to The Telegraph, as Michael Carrick’s side search for form after a wretched start to the 2026/27 Premier League season.

United’s draw at Fulham last time out left them 12th in the table, equalling the club’s joint-worst start to a campaign — matching last season’s dismal opening under Ruben Amorim and the 1992/93 run under Sir Alex Ferguson. Carrick’s men do not return to competitive action until they host Tottenham Hotspur on October 10.

The exact location, time and date of the friendly have not been confirmed, but the match is expected to take place within the next few days. Lausanne-Sport, who sit bottom of the Swiss Super League after losing five of their first nine matches, are in equally desperate need of a confidence boost — both clubs have managed just one league win so far this season.

The struggles extend across Ratcliffe’s football portfolio. His French club Nice are 14th in Ligue 1, with only two points separating Olivier Pantaloni’s side from the relegation zone after two defeats in their opening five matches. United’s women’s team have also made a poor start, sitting ninth in the Women’s Super League after winning just one of their first four games under Eva Olid.

For the men’s side, the low points have included a defeat at Hull City, a home loss in the Manchester derby — to a goal widely considered incorrectly awarded, despite United playing against 10 men for much of the match — and a League Cup collapse at home to Brighton, where they surrendered a two-goal lead.

Carrick has pushed back on suggestions that fitness is at the root of United’s problems, after Matheus Cunha claimed Fulham’s players “put in more energy” at the start of the second half during last Sunday’s draw at Craven Cottage. “It didn’t look like that to me,” Carrick said. “I was quite happy with the way we finished the game. I thought we finished the game really strongly actually and we kept pushing.”