Manchester United fans are waiting for pre-season to begin, with the Club World Cup offering some action in these quiet times.
Real Madrid, Manchester City and Bayern Munich all have Club World Cup action on their schedule this summer.
That is not the case for Manchester United, who are not included in this reformed version of the Club World Cup.
We are used to seeing the Club World Cup feature the winners of each confederation’s Champions League for a brief tournament in December.
FIFA have pushed the boat out this time, forming a 32-team tournament in the United States as preparation for next summer’s World Cup.
United players may be pleased to avoid adding more games to an already busy schedule, but there are some former Red Devils in action.
Botafogo's Alex Telles in action against Seattle Sounders at the Club World Cup.
Photo by Steph Chambers – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images
Alex Telles reminds Manchester United fans of his quality at the Club World Cup
Ander Herrera picked up a red card for Boca Juniors against Benfica on Monday night, just 24 hours after Alex Telles showed off his quality.
United signed Telles from Porto back in 2020, landing the Brazilian as competition for Luke Shaw at left-back.
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Telles managed 50 appearances for United, notching one goal and eight assists before his time at Old Trafford came to an end.
Telles spent the 2022-23 season on loan at Sevilla before United allowed Telles to join Al-Nassr alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Brazilian’s nomadic run continued in 2024 as Al-Nassr released Telles, paving the way for a return to Brazil with Botafogo.
Telles won the Copa Libertadores in 2024 and made his presence felt in Botafogo’s first Club World Cup game against Seattle Sounders.
The left-back whipped in a brilliant free-kick for Jair Cunha to head home and hand Botafogo a 1-0 lead.
We saw Telles create some great chances with his left foot during his United career, and that ability to pick out teammates is still going strong.
Botafogo went on to win 2-1, starting the competition with a win as Telles reminded United fans of his quality.
Globo Esporte rated Telles at a seven out of 10 for his display, praising him for a ‘precise’ assist in a strong performance.
“He made a precise cross for Jair to open the scoring with a free kick. Solid defensively, he only let Jesús Ferreira pass on one occasion when the American scared him with a shot from outside the area. Good game from the full-back,” they wrote.
Fogao also handed Telles a seven out of 10 rating, as did Terra as they praised the left-back’s attacking quality.
“He showed all his quality in the set piece. He crossed the ball to Jair’s head to make it 1-0. He also had a more incisive attacking move. At the back, despite giving a little freedom to the hosts’ crosses, he was safe. Tired, he came off in the second half, to be replaced by Cuiabano,” they wrote.
Alex Telles set for two major Club World Cup clashes
Botafogo started with a victory but now face two real challenges.
Telles and co will face Paris Saint-Germain in Pasadena in the early hours of Friday morning.
That game sees the South American champions take on the European champions in a fascinating clash.
Botafogo’s group stage ends with a clash against Atletico Madrid, meaning it’s back-to-back European battles for Telles and his teammates.
Telles didn’t quite find longevity at United, but he is playing a key role for Botafogo at the age of 32 – and he will look to find more magic moments at the Club World Cup this summer.