Reacting to Manchester United’s pre-season opening game against Wrexham.
Manchester United fell to a 1-0 defeat against Wrexham in Helsinki. And you can check out our player ratings and full live coverage of the game across United In Focus.
Here is a look at 14 things I liked and disliked from the game…
Name your biggest positive and biggest negative from Man Utd’s game vs Wrexham…
The stats showed how well Man Utd played vs Wrexham…
Likes
Going strong: I liked the intention from Michael Carrick to go strong with his starting line-up. The alternative was to spread his senior players across both XIs. It was not quite perfect though, and I’ll get to that later. What this approach did do was allow his senior players to start building chemistry ahead of the new campaign. Remember, this is only the start.
Maguire captain: Michael Carrick opted to give Harry Maguire the captain’s armband in Bruno Fernandes’ absence. While this was a logical call, he quite easily could have gone with another senior pro, Tom Heaton. Maguire was the right choice and deserves it after the disappointment of missing out on the World Cup.
Santos straight in: For a period, it looked like Manchester United might not have a new signing ready to play in pre-season. Andrey Santos’ arrival ensured that was not the case, and it was great that he was ready to go straight into the starting line-up. He was good in and out of possession, putting in a solid pre-season debut. There is more to come.
Dorgu in attack: Patrick Dorgu was listed in Manchester United’s pre-season squad as a defender. But as with the second half of last season, he lined up in attack. I think that is how it should be. Dorgu was effective when he played there under Carrick and that needs to continue.
Ayden Heaven looking sharp: The highlight of Manchester United’s first half was a perfectly-timed sliding tackle from Ayden Heaven. Now that said something about the lack of creativity in attack – but let’s give Heaven some credit. He looked sharp and he will be pushing for a starting spot when the season begins.
Tyler Fletcher captained United’s XI in the second half vs Wrexham – Which young players caught your eye?
Who really impressed you?
Composure of the second XI: Manchester United named a completely changed second XI against Wrexham, and the performance in the second 45 minutes was actually better. The young players were composed on the ball and looked up for the fight, completely dominating possession. While they could not find an equaliser, this display highlighted that there is real strength in depth at the club.
Harry Amass and Dan Gore: Two of the shining lights for United were two players who spent time out on loan last season, Harry Amass and Dan Gore. Both players looked at home against Championship opposition, and have surely earned more pre-season minutes in the games to come.
Dislikes
Yoro at right-back: I did not like seeing Leny Yoro at right-back just to get him into the starting XI. While I appreciate Michael Carrick wanted to experiment, I see no future for Yoro at this position. It would have been better to use Jaydan Kamason there from the start and allow him to play alongside senior defenders.
Devaney at centre-back: The knock-on impact of playing three centre-backs in the first half was that United were one light after the break. It meant that Jacob Devaney had to partner Dan Armer at the back. While Devaney was fine and United did not concede, it would surely have been better to see the Republic of Ireland international in his favoured midfield role.
What did YOU make of Andrey Santos’ pre-season debut for Man Utd vs Wrexham?
Santos played 45 minutes in the first half…
Empty seats: Maybe we have been spoiled with the packed World Cup stadiums, but it certainly felt odd to see so many empty seats around the stadium in Helsinki. Was there just not the demand to see United play? Or did the organisers get the pricing wrong? You could see from this why those in charge usually opt for the US or Asia for pre-season games.
Missing Bruno: I am fully aware Bruno Fernandes deserves and needs a break, and I did not expect to miss him so soon. But the first half once again highlighted how United are dependent on Fernandes to create chances and dictate the game. Perhaps new signing Youri Tielemans can help to share the burden.
No Thwaites or Obi: United took 25 players to the game so not all of them were going to play. Reserve goalkeeper Dermot Mee expectedly missed out. It was a surprise though that neither Jim Thwaites or Chido Obi received an opportunity. In the past we have seen managers mix it up and solve this issue by giving 10-15 minutes off the bench at the end. Hopefully both players will get an opportunity against Rosenborg, because I believe both could have something to offer, especially in a situation where United were chasing a goal.
Lack of goal threat: Benjamin Sesko’s absence due to injury put United’s attacking options under the spotlight. Joshua Zirkzee did not impress. I don’t think Ethan Wheatley is near ready either based on the second half. United need to sign another striker.
The result: Pre-season results don’t matter, I get it. But I still don’t like the fact United lost and failed to score. United will hopefully be more competitive as pre-season goes on. It is important to get into a winning habit ahead of the Premier League kicking off.
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