Manchester United’s pre-season moves highlight growing intersection of sports, fan tokens, and prediction markets

Manchester United’s pre-season is heating up, with goalkeeper Senne Lammens and midfielder Youri Tielemans both expected to feature in the club’s friendly against Paris Saint-Germain on August 8 in Gothenburg, Sweden. Both players returned to training at Carrington by late July after representing Belgium at the 2026 World Cup. Tielemans, who arrived from Aston Villa on a five-year deal worth £35 million (roughly $47 million), had a pre-arranged timeline for his post-tournament return. Lammens, who joined from Royal Antwerp in September 2025 and has since established himself as the club’s first-choice keeper, cut his holiday short to get back to work early. Manchester United’s 2026-27 Premier League campaign opens on August 22, giving manager Michael Carrick just two weeks after the PSG friendly to finalize his squad. The PSG match follows an earlier pre-season fixture against Atletico Madrid, giving the coaching staff multiple data points on fitness and tactical readiness. Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.