Manchester United U21s brought European football back to Old Trafford on Wednesday night as they hosted Athletic Club in the Premier League International Cup.
It was United’s first match in the competition this season, which will see them also take on Anderlecht, Borussia Dortmund, and Sporting Clube de Portugal as part of the group stage.
Travis Binnion made a number of changes to his side from the victory over Liverpool at the weekend, including a new position for Jack Fletcher who slotted in as left back.
First half
The visitor’s took an early lead through Asier Hierro’s free kick from the edge of the box.
A mistake from Will Murdock when organising his wall left a large gap on the far side of the wall, allowing Hierro find the bottom corner with ease.
Athletic were on top throughout the opening stages, as their press forced a number of errant passes from United.
The Spanish side forced a couple of saves from Murdock but were unable to extend their lead as United experienced little joy in attack.
Second half
Ten minutes into the second half, Bilbao came within inches of scoring their second of the match.
A poor pass from Murdock to Jayce Fitzgerald under extreme pressure saw the visitors win back the ball in a dangerous area, before the shot went just wide of the post.
Binnion turned to the bench on the hour mark to introduce Amir Ibragimov, Gabriele Biancheri, Shea Lacey, and Finley McAllister.
The four substitutes turned the match on its head, adding a sense of urgency and control that United had not shown in the opening hour.
Ibragimov almost made an instant impact as he drove down the right wing, getting past his marker before looking to square the ball but the keeper did well to cut it out for a corner.
Down the same side, Biancheri drove 50 yards to get into the box before cutting it back to James Scanlon for an easy finish to draw the game level at 1-1.
🅰️ Gabriele Biancheri 🏴
⚽️ James Scanlon 🇬🇮[@Callum_Foy7] pic.twitter.com/2iipLoD2X5
— UtdDistrict (@UtdDistrict) September 24, 2025
Scanlon then came close to returning the favour, heading across the box from McAllister’s ball over the top but Biancheri couldn’t reach the ball as it flashed across the face of the goal.
Deep into injury time, a clever move from Ibragimov saw a quick free kick spread out to the left wing which ended with Jack Fletcher on the overlap to centre for Biancheri to score the winner in dramatic fashion.
Biancheri’s strike hit the post before coming back off the keeper to enter the goal.
Limbs in the home end for Gabe Biancheri’s late winning goal for #MUAcademy tonight 🤩
[@Callum_Foy7] pic.twitter.com/xosLGFC84M
— UtdDistrict (@UtdDistrict) September 24, 2025
United turn their attention back to Premier League 2 for Saturday when they will host Crystal Palace at Salford’s Peninsula Stadium.
Match facts
United: Murdock, Kamason, Bennett, Munro (McAllister 61), J. Fletcher, Devaney (c), Mantato, Thwaites (Lacey 61), Musa (Biancheri 61), Fitzgerald (Ibragimov 61), Scanlon
Unused subs: Heath; Armer, Obi
Goals: Scanlon 68, Biancheri 90+3 | Hierro 11
Feature image Lewis Storey via Getty Images
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Colm Murphy
A football obsessed Canadian who moved to England to enjoy the beautiful game. Colm has been keen follower of Manchester United’s famed academy since seeing a fresh faced Adnan Januzaj for the club’s u18s and has been writing about football with a focus on youth development for over 10 years.
