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Man Utd's winners and losers as trio give Ten Hag headache vs Melbourne Victory

mirror.co.uk, 15 July 2022, 12:19
United fell behind to an early goal from Australian A-League side Melbourne Victory but overturned the scoreline thanks to goals from Scott McTominay, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford

Manchester United made it two wins from two on their pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia.

After the resounding 4-0 win over arch rivals Liverpool in Bangkok, United came from a goal down to beat Melbourne Victory 4-1 at the MCG. Goals from Scott McTominay, Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and an own goal from Edmond Lupancu gave Erik ten Hag's side a comfortable win in their second game under their new boss.

Just as he did in the 4-0 tour-opening win over Liverpool in Bangkok, ten Hag made 10 outfield changes at the break, to give his players as much game-time as possible. The likes of Harry Maguire, Bruno Fernandes and Jadon Sancho made way for a side that contained Marcus Rashford, Donny van de Beek and new signing Tyrell Malacia.

Here, Mirror Football takes a look at the winners and losers from the game at the iconic MCG ground.

Winners

Scott McTominay : With United doing all they can to get a deal for Barcelona midfielder Frenkie De Jong over the line, McTominay's place in midfield cannot be taken for granted, despite the industry, purpose and commitment he always brings to the team. The Scotland international was at his combative best in the tour opener against Liverpool, which United won 4-0, and it was a similar story here, with McTominay's refusal to give up ultimately yielding their equaliser.

After intercepting the ball on the edge of the area, McTominay's shot took a deflection off Stefan Nigro, looping over goalkeeper Paul Izzo and into the net. McTominay, like so many of United's players, has a point to prove and is doing all he can to impress ten Hag.

Jadon Sancho : The England winger scored the first goal of the ten Hag era in the emphatic 4-0 win over Liverpool and he was one of United's most effective performers again here against Melbourne Victory, always providing an attacking threat and creating openings with his quick feet and mind. Midway through the first-half, Sancho's perfectly-weighted pass sent Bruno Fernandes into a dangerous position on the right side of the penalty area, but his shot was well saved by Izzo.

Sancho is said to have impressed ten Hag in training and on tour, and looks like being a key player under the new United boss this coming season.

Marcus Rashford: In United's tour opener against old foes Liverpool, Rashford was presented with two chances he would have stuck away with ease before the crisis of confidence that plagued him last season, when he managed just five goals from 32 appearances. But here, after coming on for the second-half, Rashford kept a cool head in the 78th minute when he was put through by Eric Bailly, producing a fine first touch and then scoring with the outside of his right foot with a composed finish, to make it 3-1 and seal the win for United, before the late own goal.

Rashford has worked on his speed and physique in pre-season, ahead of a huge season for the 24-year-old, who is desperate to win back his England place for the World Cup this winter.

Losers

Harry Maguire : Ten Hag made a bold call by retaining Maguire as United captain, particularly after the £80million defender had such a torrid time last season and saw his authority undermined within the dressing-room. But ten Hag kept faith with Maguire, who made the worst possible start to the tour - having sat out the opening 4-0 win over Liverpool - by being culpable for Melbourne Victory's fifth minute goal.

Maguire was left trailing in the wake of Chris Ikonomidis, who swept a first-time finish past Tom Heaton. Maguire's poor positioning, reading of the game and failure to keep pace with Ikonomidis will surely be a major cause for concern for ten Hag, after such a ringing endorsement of him when he declared he would stay as skipper.

Victor Lindelof: Maguire's defensive partner also had a shocker, losing Ben Folami on the left and allowing him the space and time to cross for the opening goal. Lindelof was bullish earlier this week when asked about increased competition with the imminent arrival of defender Lisandro Martinez from Ajax, insisting he backed himself to compete for a place.

It is unlikely ten Hag shares that view, after watching Lindelof lose his man so easily for the goal, and Lindelof - like Maguire - has much to do if he is to keep his place this season. Given Maguire has retained the captaincy, he can expect to start most games, unless his wretched form continues, but Lindelof must improve on this 45-minute outing if he is to have any chance of regular football this season.

How should United lineup for the first Premier League game of the season? Let us know your XI in the comments below.

Luke Shaw: Although Lindelof was at fault for Melbourne Victory's early goal, he was not helped by Shaw, who was caught out of position and upfield in the move that led to it. Ten Hag wants United to play a high defensive line, but Shaw's positioning was calamitous, meaning Lindelof had to come across to the left to cover for him, leaving United unbalanced in defence and Maguire exposed, unable to keep pace with goalscorer Ikonomidis.

Shaw is already under pressure at left-back with the signing of Tyrell Malacia from Feyenoord, with the Holland full-back having already insisted he has not joined United to play second fiddle to the England international. Shaw, like Maguire and Lindelof, has much to prove on tour.

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