Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
Liam Wood

Behind-the-scenes of Manchester United's Carabao Cup celebrations - beers, bubbly and late finish

Manchester United had precious little time to toast their Carabao Cup win - due to pressing matters in other competitions - but players certainly made the most of what few hours they did have to celebrate.

Goals from Casemiro and Marcus Rashford - beneath the famous Wembley arch - earned United silverware for the first time since 2017 when they defeated Newcastle on Sunday afternoon. It was a memorable occasion for Erik ten Hag and his squad - yet there could be even more to come from them this season.

It was (almost) straight back to business for United following their stunning Carabao Cup win, but what went on after Bruno Fernandes and Harry Maguire led their victorious teammates up those iconic Wembley steps?

READ MORE: Wan-Bissaka has surprised Ten Hag

Starting with a pitchside parade, in which Ten Hag danced with his two former Ajax stars - Lisandro Martinez and Antony, the players soon moved inside where they were allowed to pop open a bottle (or two) of champagne and some commercial European beer!

Victor Lindelof appeared to hand out the Madri as Raphael Varane, Fred and their teammates toasted to their sweet taste of victory. Of course, they spared time to pose with the trophy - while an image featuring Ten Hag with Sir Alex Ferguson was indicative of the managerial baton finally being handed over.

And there was more to follow before Alejandro Garnacho hinted at a 2am finish.

Victor Lindelof shares a beer with Raphael Varane and Fred in the changing room. (Instagram / victorlindelof)

Even before this win, spirits were high within the United camp and that new-found togetherness has been a major part of the upturn under Ten Hag since his appointment. It has allowed for some light-hearted mocking off the field and David de Gea found himself subject to a little taunting from Fernandes here.

De Gea was spotted posing with the trophy - while taking selfies - before the Portugal sensation strolled into the changing room to expose and laugh at his teammate. De Gea shared a brilliant reaction as he walked away from Fernandes while laughing and clutching the Carabao Cup as if he had saved a shot on target.

David de Gea was "mocked" for his trophy selfies and saw the funny side himself. (Instagram / brunofernandes8)

A moment to savour for the players, staff and supporters, but also for the families, too. It was around 11.20pm when the squad touched back down in Manchester - before heading to their homes - as Fred was among the players to post sweet selfies, with his little boy proudly showing off the medal won by his father.

Fernandes did likewise on Monday morning as he messaged supporters via Instagram.

Alejandro Garnacho uploaded onto his Instagram story at around 2am. (Instagram (@garnacho7))

Summoned back to Carrington on Monday morning for recovery sessions - before turning attentions to West Ham in the FA Cup on Wednesday night - the quickfire celebrations came and went as United realise there are bigger prizes on the horizon after what could prove to be a seismic win.

Of course, with this effectively being a mid-season trophy, there were no wild parties or anything like that nor an open-top bus parade. Garnacho, though, might have been among the last men standing as the highly-rated Argentina starlet posted a goodnight message via his Instagram story around 2am.

It's well-known that players can take a while to come down from the adrenaline of a game at the best of times, let alone after a cup win so perhaps the early hours ending wasn't all that surprising in reality. But even so, a late finish was the least Garnacho and his teammates deserved.

MORE TO READ:

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.