Manchester United faced Rúben Amorim's AC Milan in the sixth and final match of pre-season before returning to competitive action against Hull City in the Premier League next weekend.
Manchester United suffered a disappointing 4-2 defeat to Rúben Amorim's AC Milan in their sixth and final pre-season match.
Kobbie Mainoo, Lisandro Martínez and Marcus Rashford all made their first appearances of pre-season, having returned later than most due to their extended campaigns at the World Cup.
Harry Maguire netted the opening goal inside two minutes from the first corner kick of the game. He muscled two defenders to open space in the six-yard box, and there was no stopping him from that position.
Amorim's side dominated the rest of the first half and were rewarded with a goal in the 37th minute. Senne Lammens made several good saves earlier in the half, but could do nothing about Milan's goal due to a defensive mix-up between Bruno Fernandes and Harry Maguire.
Patrick Dorgu restored United's lead shortly after the break when an AC Milan backpass fell very short of the goalkeeper. The Dane chose power over precision and fired through the goalkeeper to make it 2-1. However, Cisse made it 2-2 with an easy tap-in at the back post after losing Noussair Mazraoui.
Goncalo Ramos and Ruben Loftus-Cheek soon made it three and four for AC Milan – which will be quite the concern for Michael Carrick after a good pre-season.
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#1 – Mbeumo must start vs Hull City
Bryan Mbeumo has been one of the best parts of Manchester United's pre-season campaign – with three goals and one assist before the trip to Poland – but was left amongst the substitutes against AC Milan.
Matheus Cunha led the line for the first 45 minutes but struggled to get into the game and was feeding on scraps. Mbeumo had suffered similar issues in patches, but always found a way to affect the match by dropping deep or drifting wide.
Benjamin Šeško looks unlikely to feature against Hull City, given he has not featured in pre-season, and without a striker signing this summer, Mbeumo has to be the first choice.
Marcus Rashford may also be hoping for minutes through the middle this season after he made his return to Manchester United action in the second half, although he played from the left-hand side ahead of Luke Shaw.
#2 – Amad ready to impress
Amad struggled for large parts of last season, including after Rúben Amorim left Old Trafford and was replaced by Michael Carrick. But he has come back a new man this summer.
The Ivorian seems to always be the man to win possession back for Manchester United, proving to be a hound on the right flank.
He has impressed when United have the ball too. Youri Tielemans spotted Amad's run on the halfway line and played a ball perfectly into his stride (in typical Tielemans fashion). Amad was brought down by former Brighton full-back Pervis Estupinan in a tackle which would usually be a red card had it been a competitive fixture. The referee awarded him a yellow.
Amad needs to impress from the start of the season if he wants a regular place in the side. Shea Lacey, Bryan Mbeumo and others will also be challenging for minutes in his favoured position on the right wing.
#3 – Midfield concerns remain
Despite having both new signings and Bruno Fernandes starting in midfield against AC Milan, Manchester United were dominated for large parts of the first half and struggled to retain possession.
The biggest concern is that the shape looked good. Carrick set his side up in the same 4-4-2 that had been played in other pre-season matches when United were without the ball, but United still found themselves chasing shadows in the centre of the park.
On more than one occasion, one of United's midfield three would jump (leave their position to press a player, which is fine if they are following instructions) and leave a gap behind them. The other midfielder would step across/forward to cover the space, but be too late and be easily bypassed.
Andrey Santos found himself making several last-ditch slide tackles, which would have left his defenders one-on-one had he not been there.
Perhaps the issue starts from the front, but it shows another defensive-minded midfielder is needed. Nobody else in the United squad can take up the role Santos did today.
#4 – Rashford returns
While he may not be Batman, Rashford's return to the Manchester United side could also be described as unbelievable cinema.
And unbelievable is the right word. Marcus Rashford was not expected to don a Manchester United shirt again after his loan moves with Aston Villa and Barcelona.
But he returned to the pitch for Michael Carrick's side and did exactly what fans wanted him to do.
In the 78th minute, Rashford busted his lungs into the corner and performed a curling slide tackle to keep the ball in and win it from AC Milan. He got up, turned, ran with speed, stood up his defender, and slipped a pass to Luke Shaw to deliver into the penalty area.
Brilliant pressing. Brilliant wing play. Brilliant from Marcus Rashford.
#5 – More is needed
Manchester United fans have been quite excited about their pre-season campaign, and rightly so. On the whole, it's been pretty good.
However, today will be quite the eye-opener to several, potentially including those in charge of transfers at the club.
The result against AC Milan proves United need more if they want to impress in the Premier League and the Champions League this season.
In Ireland, Michael Carrick said his squad could do "something special", and that is true, but they will need more through the door before they can mount that charge.
A new left-back, another central midfielder, a centre-forward, and maybe even a centre-back: that is what is needed before United are ready to push to the next level.
