Man Utd ended a 3-match losing streak with a victory over Lens at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils are making the final preparations before the new season. After 3 consecutive defeats against Wrexham, Real Madrid and Dortmund, Man Utd returned to Old Trafford to welcome Lens. Despite accepting the first goal, coach Erik ten Hag’s teachers and students got up strongly.
Accordingly, Man Utd beat Lens with a score of 3-1 thanks to the goals of Marcus Rashford, Antony and Casemiro. Here are 5 notable highlights revolving around the match.
1. Rookie home field greeting and shock
On the evening of August 5, Man Utd announced the third rookie. Accordingly, Rasmus Hojlund joined the Manchester team under a contract until June 2028, with the option to extend for another year.
The Danish player stepped out onto the pitch to greet the audience and received a standing ovation. However, the shock soon came. Hojlund picked up an injury during pre-season preparations with Atalanta.
Hojlund is still training but it will take “several weeks” to reach his peak fitness. Man Utd will likely not be able to have Hojlund’s services when facing Wolves at dawn on August 15 in the opening match of the Premier League 2023/24.
2. Lesson for Onana
In the goal of Man Utd, it is impossible not to blame Andre Onana. The Cameroon goalkeeper made the mistake of allowing Florian Sotoca to concede a goal from near the middle of the field. Onana rose too high and didn’t have time to step back to block it.
The audience present on the field was completely shocked with this ball. The rise is definitely a double-edged sword. In the Premier League, the top midfielders will not let Onana relax. At that time, this player needs to observe carefully before leaving the penalty area.
There is no denying that Onana has many impressive saves, but such mistakes should not be allowed to happen.
3. The number 7 ‘real’ is here
After the 2022/23 season, there are many rumors that Man Utd will give the number 7 shirt to Alejandro Garnacho. However, this shirt belongs to rookie Mason Mount. Even so, Garnacho shows why he is worthy of the appearance of a 7.
While Mount proved ungainly, missing a delicious opportunity from Garnacho’s own pass, the young Argentine talent had an impressive day. Garnacho constantly torments the Lens defense with great speed and technique.
Don’t forget in Antony’s table, Garnacho put the Brazilian in a position where he couldn’t help but score.
4. Main lineup revealed
Coach Ten Hag launched the most powerful squad in the match against Lens and decided not to make any changes after the break. Thus, Man Utd’s starting lineup at the start of the season could be: Onana, Diogo Dalot, Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez, Luke Shaw, Casemiro, Mason Mount, Antony, Bruno Fernandes, Garnacho, Marcus Rashford.
5. Towards the opening match
With most of the first team pillars playing against Lens, it is unlikely that they will feature in Dublin for their final friendly against Athletic Bilbao tomorrow (August 6).
Therefore, all attention will now be on the opening Premier League game against Wolves. The win over Lens was Man Utd’s best performance in pre-season and should bring a lot of confidence into the upcoming game.
