Manchester United v West Ham United
Premier League Summer Series, MetLife Stadium, New Jersey, USA, Saturday 26 July 2025, 7pm EDT (12midnight BST)
Head Coach Graham Potter has named an experienced starting XI for West Ham United’s 2025 Premier League Summer Series opening game against Manchester United in the United States.
The Hammers take on the Red Devils at 82,500-capacity MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, the home of the NFL’s New York Giants and New York Jets and the venue for the recent FIFA Club World Cup final and next year’s 2026 FIFA World Cup final.
Having given 22 players 45 minutes each in a 3-1 win over Grasshopper Club Zürich in Switzerland last weekend, Potter is expected to give his senior players more time on the pitch here in the US, where kick-off is at 7pm EDT (12midnight BST).
The Irons arrived in the Tri-State area on Wednesday and trained at Rutgers University on Thursday and Friday, and now Potter’s players will put that hard work into action.
Alphonse Areola will start in goal, with a back three of Jean-Clair Todibo, Maximilian Kilman and Nayef Aguerd in central defence.
Hammer of the Year Aaron Wan-Bissaka will play at right wing-back, with recent arrival El Hadji Malick Diouf at left wing-back.
Wan-Bissaka has played at MetLife Stadium before, starting at right-back in Manchester United’s 2-0 pre-season win over Arsenal in July 2023.
The midfield will be anchored by Guido Rodríguez, with James Ward-Prowse and Tomáš Souček in more advanced roles.
Rodríguez was part of the Argentina squad which defeated Chile and Canada at MetLife Stadium on their way to winning the 2024 Copa América, but was an unused substitute for both matches.
In attack, captain Jarrod Bowen will be paired with Niclas Füllkrug.
Andy Irving, Callum Marshall and Lucas Paquetá, who scored the goals in the victory over Grasshopper, are named among the 15 substitutes.
Paquetá made his senior debut for Brazil against the United States at MetLife Stadium in September 2018, replacing Philippe Coutinho with 20 minutes to go in Seleção's 2-0 friendly international win.
Academy of Football graduates Ollie Scarles, Kaelan Casey, Dan Potts, Lewis Orford and Callum Marshall are also on the bench, as are current Academy players Airidas Golambeckis and Preston Fearon.
André Onana, Noussair Mazraoui, Lisandro Martínez, Joshua Zirkzee, Tyrell Malacia, Alejandro Garnacho, Antony or Jadon Sancho, but Matheus Cunha starts.
Manchester United: Bayındır, Yoro, Heaven, De Ligt, Dorgu, Ugarte, Mainoo, Fernandes ©, Amad, Cunha, Højlund
Subs: Heaton (GK), Dalot, Fredricsson, Leon, Maguire, Munro, Shaw, Casemiro, Collyer, J.Fletcher, Koné, Mount, Mantato, Obi, Williams
West Ham United: Areola, Wan-Bissaka, Todibo, Kilman, Aguerd, Diouf, Rodríguez, Ward-Prowse, Souček, Bowen ©, Füllkrug
Subs: Foderingham (GK), Herrick (GK), Walker-Peters, Scarles, Mavropanos, Casey, Golambeckis, Potts, Kanté, Irving, Fearon, Paquetá, Luis Guilherme, Cornet, Marshall
Referee: Thomas Bramall
