The match against Arsenal at dawn on 22 Jul 2023 at 21:00 UTC time in Club Friendly Games, will be an opportunity for Man Utd to introduce rookie Andre Onana.
After a year of pursuit, coach Erik Ten Hag got the signature of goalkeeper Andre Onana. A year ago, he joined Inter Milan on a free transfer. 12 months later, Inter Milan pocketed nearly €60M thanks to an agreement with the Red Devils.
Even so, Ten Hag was able to rest assured with an excellent temple keeper in a wooden frame. This is someone who has worked with him for a while at Ajax and understands his philosophy more than anyone.
With a rush to fly to the US to join forces with teammates, Onana can be presented in the match against Arsenal, at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Above Onana will most likely be the presence of a quartet of defenders Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez, Luke Shaw and Aaron Wan-Bissaka or Diogo Dalot. Wan-Bissaka has played in the past two friendlies, so Ten Hag may choose Dalot to start to ensure the physical factor.
Likewise, in midfield, this season’s preferred pairing is expected to be Casemiro and rookie Mason Mount, but Mount has already made two friendlies. Therefore, Christian Eriksen may be able to play as a deep playmaker.
Of course, Bruno Fernandes, the newly appointed captain of the Reds, will still play in the No 10 position.
At the top, Ten Hag will have to choose names that match his goals in a friendly on American soil. Antony, Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho could be the starting trio of Man Utd.
At this point, Martial is in need of time to recover from a hamstring injury. Meanwhile, Jadon Sancho’s performance in the previous two friendlies was not good. This is a position that Ten Hag can consider and let him play more to regain the feeling.
Since it was a friendly match, substitutes like Dean Henderson Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof, Alvaro Fernandez, Mount, Scott McTominay, Kobbie Mainoo and Amad, were probably given a chance to start in the second half as well.
Mainoo is the one who has made a bold impression in the last two friendly matches against Lyon and Leeds. He is a player worth waiting for in the series of matches in the US.
There is some information that Mainoo is highly appreciated by Ten Hag but maybe he will be loaned next season to gain experience. However, if playing well, the player born in 2005 can make Ten Hag change his mind and put his name on the club’s plan in the new season.
In short, this is a friendly match, where the nature of winning or losing is not emphasized. Basically, the Man Utd staff just wanted to see how effective their experiments were.
