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Twelve members of Michael Carrick's squad will be competing at the World Cup this summer, but much of the early attention was grabbed by the Manchester United players who won't be making the trip across the Atlantic.
Harry Maguire—along with his extended family—made his displeasure at being overlooked by Thomas Tuchel very clear on social media. Neither of United's leading scorers in the recently completed 2025–26 season, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Šeško, will feature in the tournament either—though that stems from their nations' qualifying failures rather than any personal exclusion.
Regardless of whatever pointed social media posts Maguire's relatives fire off over the summer, attention will quickly turn to the Manchester United players who are actually participating in football's grandest stage.
Argentina
Lisandro Martínez
Lisandro Martínez is chasing back-to-back titles. The 2022 champion is poised to play a significantly bigger role in Argentina's bid to retain the world crown, having served as a reliable backup for much of the Qatar campaign.
Lionel Scaloni leaned on Martínez throughout the victorious 2024 Copa América run, yet "The Butcher" has largely been sidelined since then. Over the last two years, injuries have restricted Martínez to just three international appearances.
Group Stage Fixtures
Chances of Progression
All World Cup predictions are according to Opta.
Belgium
Senne Lammens
Senne Lammens turned heads with a remarkably composed series of displays throughout his debut campaign at Manchester United. The Premier League even officially named him the best signing of the season. Nevertheless, he still sits firmly behind Thibaut Courtois—widely regarded as one of the finest goalkeepers in the world—in Belgium's selection hierarchy.
Group Stage Fixtures
Chances of Progression
Brazil
Casemiro, Matheus Cunha
Casemiro technically remains a Manchester United player until June 30—even though he skipped the club's final fixture of the season to get an early start on his World Cup preparations. Matheus Cunha showed more commitment by traveling to Brighton, watching a routine 3–0 victory from the substitutes' bench.
That bench role was where Cunha found himself at the beginning of Michael Carrick's reign before Patrick Dorgu's injury created an opening on the left flank. Once the Dane recovered full fitness, Cunha was pushed back down the pecking order, raising some lingering questions heading into next season.
Group Stage Fixtures
Chances of Progression
Côte d'Ivoire
Amad Diallo
The last time Amad Diallo departed for international duty, he came back to discover that Ruben Amorim had been dismissed during his absence. There is little risk of Carrick losing his newly appointed role over the summer.
One of the rare players to genuinely shine under the Portuguese coach, Amad was in excellent form for Côte d'Ivoire at the Africa Cup of Nations during the winter. He will be hoping to reproduce those goalscoring exploits to help the Elephants progress beyond the group stage for the first time in their World Cup history.
Group Stage Fixtures
Chances of Progression
England
Kobbie Mainoo, Marcus Rashford
Manchester United have had at least one representative on every England World Cup squad since the country's debut appearance in 1950. It appeared for a long time that Kobbie Mainoo would miss Tuchel's selection, before a strong end to the season prompted the German to reconsider.
"It's good to make the point I have nothing against Manchester United," Tuchel said with a smile upon recalling Mainoo in March. "It's just to acknowledge the achievement of Manchester United, as a team."
Group Stage Fixtures
Chances of Progression
Morocco
Noussair Mazraoui
Noussair Mazraoui has started twice as many matches for Morocco (10) as he has under Michael Carrick (five) this season. The adaptable fullback may not be a regular choice for United's manager, but he is a guaranteed starter for a national side targeting another deep tournament run after reaching the 2022 World Cup semifinals.
Group Stage Fixtures
Chances of Progression
Portugal
Bruno Fernandes, Diogo Dalot
"Confidence in football is not everything," Bruno Fernandes once reflected, "but almost everything." Few players in the game carry more self-assurance than United's universally celebrated playmaker.
The newly crowned FWA and Premier League Player of the Season will be expected to generate his trademark flood of chances for Roberto Martínez's squad. Backed by Champions League-winning pair João Neves and Vitinha, Fernandes will be threading those passes not to their Paris Saint-Germain teammate Gonçalo Ramos, but to the 41-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo.
Group Stage Fixtures
Chances of Progression
Türkiye
Altay Bayındır
It is easy to overlook the fact that Altay Bayındır started Manchester United's opening six Premier League matches of the season. Amorim captured precisely why the Turkish goalkeeper didn't hold onto his place for long when he offered the blunt assessment: "It's hard to be a Manchester United goalkeeper in this moment."
Things haven't been much easier for Bayındır at international level either, with the 28-year-old set to play understudy to Galatasaray's Uğurcan Çakır throughout the summer tournament.
Group Stage Fixtures
Chances of Progression
Uruguay
Manuel Ugarte
Just how much longer Manuel Ugarte can still be considered a Manchester United player is an open question. While Casemiro has been allowed to depart gracefully into retirement, the expectation is that his fellow South American midfielder will slip out far more quietly.
The World Cup should hand Ugarte a stage to attract potential buyers, after doing little to enhance his standing during his limited appearances for United.