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Manchester United take young squad on pre-season tour; who will they play and what lies ahead?

16 July 2018 by

Manchester United left for Los Angeles shortly before 21:00 BST on Sunday evening, arriving at their destination shortly before 23:00 PDT. Before embarking on tour, United did not make an announcement of the squad like they have done in the years previous with only journalists naming the players who were present at Manchester airport, with the club tweeting some pictures taken at the airport. There were some players staying behind in Manchester and some players who will be seen as surprise inclusions of the squad this summer.

Alexis Sanchez was the big name missing from the travelling party on Sunday and he was pictured by the media in Cheshire on Sunday. It is suggested that he has been given some extra time off, as this is literally his first summer off in a number of years and Jose Mourinho will be wanting him to be fresh ahead of the new season. He will travel to the United States of America later in the tour. It has not been suggested when, but looking at the United players who exited the FIFA World Cup early this summer, he could travel out with them at some point.

Daley Blind was also missing from the squad as it has been reported that Ajax are re-signing the Dutchman this summer for around £14 million, which could rise to £18.5 million. Blind hardly played for United last season and it is clear he is not in Mourinho’s plans. Matteo Darmian, who has also been linked with a return to Italy, did travel on the tour as a firm decision has not been made on his future with both Juventus and Inter Milan keen on signing him this summer. Juventus will be playing matches in the USA this summer.

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Manchester United squad for the pre-season tour of the United States of America

Mourinho has selected a 24-man squad for the early part of the pre-season tour of the USA. The Portuguese manager selected 13 players from the clubs academy, with six of those not yet playing for the first team at the club. Two of the three new summer signings (so far) have travelled on the tour. The squad is made up of the following;

Goalkeepers – Sergio Romero, Joel Pereira, Lee Grant;

Defenders – Antonio Valencia, Matteo Darmian, Diogo Dalot, Timothy Fosu-Mensah, Ro-Shaun Williams, Chris Smalling, Eric Bailly, Axel Tuanzebe, Demetri Mitchell, Luke Shaw;

Midfielders – James Garner, Ander Herrera, Andreas Pereira, Scott McTominay, Ethan Hamilton;

Forwards – Tahith Chong, Angel Gomes, Juan Mata, Anthony Martial, Mason Greenwood, Joshua Bohui.

Who will Manchester United be playing against on the pre-season tour of the USA and Germany?

United will be playing five matches in the USA this summer. Two of the matches will be pre-season friendlies presented by Aon with the other three being part of the International Champions Cup competition, which this summer is going to be played across the world with the majority of matches played in the USA but some also played in Germany, Singapore, France, Ireland, Portugal, Italy and England. United will be playing matches in Phoenix, AZ, Santa Clara, CA, Carson, CA, Ann Arbor, MI, and Miami, FL. United will be playing the following matches;

Club America, University of Phoenix, Phoenix, Arizona – Friday 20 July 2018 – KO 03:00 BST (friendly);

San Jose Earthquakes, Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, California – Sunday 22 July 2018 – KO 22:00 BST (friendly);

AC Milan, StubHub Center, Carson, California – Thursday 26 July 2018 – KO 04:05 BST (International Champions Cup);

Liverpool, Michigan (Big House) Stadium, Ann Arbor, Michigan – Saturday 28 July 2018 – KO 22:05 BST (International Champions Cup);

Real Madrid, Hard Rock Stadium, Miami, Florida – Wednesday 1 August 2018 – KO 01:05 BST (International Champions Cup);

Bayern Munich, Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany – Sunday 5 August 2018 – KO 19:15 BST (friendly).

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What can be expected from Manchester United’s pre-season tour this summer?

For some, pre-season is about fitness, gelling the squad ahead of a long and tough season and testing playing styles ready for the new season. This pre-season is going to be both big and complicated for United. Mourinho has seen some changes to his coaching team this summer with Michael Carrick, Kieran McKenna, and Stefano Rapetti all being added to the team this summer. Obviously, Carrick was destined for a coaching role, which could be said for Rapetti also but McKenna seems to have taken a vacant role in the team left by Rui Faria, who left at the end of the season.

United supporters will be hoping to see their team win all or most of their matches this summer but in reality, the results do not matter as they are player to regain fitness after a summer of rest and relaxation after a tough season. This summer though, with the FIFA World Cup just finishing, United have 12 players missing from pre-season because of the World Cup. Those who played in the final matches; Ashley Young, Phil Jones, Jesse Lingard, and Marcus Rashford – England; Romelu Lukaku and Marouane Fellaini – Belgium; and Paul Pogba – France; will miss the tour.

Players who left the World Cup early; Nemanja Matic – Serbia, who exited in the group stage; Marcos Rojo – Argentina and David De Gea – Spain, who both exited at the Round of 16, could all play a part for United later in the tour. It has been suggested that Sanchez will join the tour at a later day, so he could fly out to the USA ready for the second or third game of the tour, with Matic, Rojo, and De Gea. Victor Lindelof and Fred could also be in action in the USA this summer, although Germany seems more likely, if they are involved at all.

As a vast majority of United players will not have a full pre-season, some not having one at all, there will be repercussions ahead of the new Premier League season. Mourinho has already suggested that seven players would be missing from the opening match against Leicester City on the 10th August, but in reality, up to 12 players may not be fit for that first match, which will mean United need to have a plan to ensure their first home game of the season ends in victory.

Written by Dave Preston

Filed Under: Feature, First Team, Managers, News, Opinion Tagged With: , , , , ,

Manchester United set for Milan, Liverpool, and Real Madrid test at the International Champions Cup this summer…

17 April 2018 by

The International Champions Cup have announced the matches Manchester United will play in the United States of America this summer. A few weeks ago, United confirmed that they will be heading to the USA during pre-season again where they will face Mexican side Club American and MLS side San Jose Earthquakes. A further three matches have been confirmed for the tournament which has seen clubs from all over the world play in North America, Europa, Asia, and Australasia.

The competition was founded in 2013 and played in North America and Europe which was won by Real Madrid. The following season, the competition was bigger and Manchester United participated for the first time, winning the competition. In 2015, the competition was extended with matches in Australia and China being added which three separate tournaments. Paris Saint-Germain won in North America, with Real Madrid winning both in China and Australia.

In 2016, United played in the China part of the tour, which was unsuccessful as matches were cancelled with ended up with no winner of the tournament. In North America, PSG won again, whilst Juventus won in Australia. Last summer, Singapore was added to the competition, alongside China and the USA. Inter Milan won in Singapore, the tournament was uncrowned in China, again and Barcelona won in North America.

This summer, there will be matches played in: North America – Ann Arbor, Chicago, New York (twice), Pittsburgh, Santa Clara, Dallas, Miami, San Diego, Washington, Charlotte, Los Angeles, Minnesota, and Philadelphia; Europe – Austria (Klagenfurt), Spain (Madrid), Sweden (Gothenburg and Stockholm), Italy (Lecce), and Switzerland (Zürich); and Singapore (Kallang).

United will commence their pre-season tour, presented by Aon, on Thursday 19th July 2018 when they face Club America at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona; KO 19:00 local time. United will then face San Jose Earthquakes on Sunday 22nd July 2018 at the Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California; KO 14:00 local time. These two fixtures were announced a few weeks ago and are nothing to do with the International Champions Cup.

Manchester United will face AC Milan, Liverpool, and Real Madrid in the International Champions Cup this summer. Here is the schedule (kick off times are not yet know);

AC Milan, Rose Bowl, Pasadena, Los Angeles, California – Wednesday 25th July 2018

Liverpool, Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Michigan – Saturday 28th July 2018

Real Madrid, Hard Rock Stadium, Miami, Florida – Tuesday 31st July 2018

So United will play five matches in the United States of America this summer. There is a possibility that there could be at least one other pre-season match played in Europe this summer, which was the case last summer with Valerenga in Norway and Sampdoria in Dublin, which was obviously played days before the UEFA Super Cup against Real Madrid at the start of last season. There are now guarantees of this though, especially with the new season commencing on Saturday 11th August 2018.

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Report: Fellaini, Lukaku and McTominay ensure United left Norway with a win

30 July 2017 by

Manchester United beat Valerenga 3-0 at the Ullevaal Stadium in Oslo, Norway on Sunday evening. Marouane Fellaini opened the scoring in the 44th minute of the match with a deflected header, which seemingly ended speculation of an exit to Galatasaray this summer as he looks to continue his career at the Old Trafford club ahead of the new season. It was a half of many chances for United, who just could not get the ball into the back of the next, at least until the Belgian midfielder, who everyone loves to hate, put to ball into the back of the net. Henrikh Mkhitaryan nearly opened the scoring after Juan Mata set him up with a chance.

Romelu Lukaku scored United’s second goal a minute after the start of the second half, after Jose Mourinho made nine changes at the break, playing four at the back in the first half and three at the back in the second half. United dominated the possession throughout the match, showing the different classes between the Premier League and the Norwegian league, a void which was not all that close. Paul Pogba did his best to get involved in the game, peppering the opposition with shots throughout his time in the match, him being replaced by Scott McTominay in the 61st minute and many suggest McTominay, despite starting his United career at this level was not good enough.

McTominay scored United third goal in the 70th minute of the match, ending the scoring with United leading their plaudits in their first pre-season match of the summer in Europe. United started the match playing a 4-1-4-1 formation, starting the second in a 3-5-2 formation, which Mourinho will most likely play against Real Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup in just over a week’s time. The Portuguese manager will be pleased with the performance, the second half being much better than the first as he gets his side ready to face Sampdoria in Dublin on Wednesday evening, the last pre-season match of the summer before competitive football starts.

After the match, United manager Jose Mourinho spoke about various things he saw throughout the match, starting with his overall thoughts, saying:

“I am satisfied. I thank Ronny [Deila] and these boys [Valerenga] for the game they gave us and I thank the ref because they had a very professional training session. Of course, Champions League referees are top quality referees. It was good for us because it was a good pitch and the opponents were very well organised, trying to play from the back. After the United States, and matches where we were struggling with jet lag, it was a good game for us where I could play each player for 45 minutes. Now, with one more step, a little rest and the Sampdoria match and then the official season starts and, until now, we have no injuries. So let’s see if we can start the official season with this positive situation.”

Mourinho also spoke about Romelu Lukaku’s third goal for the club after failing to score in two matches during the tour of the United States of America, saying:

“It’s nice. You know strikers, they like to score goals. It’s not important for me but probably it’s important for him. It’s important for his confidence and for his self-esteem. Strikers like to score goals; us managers, many times we are happy with them even when they don’t score, because of the way they participate in the team organisation and game plans. But, for them, to score their goals is always important.”

Finally, Mourinho also spoke about the progress of new central defender, Victor Lindelof, saying:

“Step by step. Benfica is a giant club, I always think that players coming from Benfica come mentally ready because it is a big club and the responsibility to play for them makes players ready. But the Portuguese league is different and has different qualities. Benfica is one of the dominant teams, so he’s more used to playing with the ball than without the ball, so he needs his time and we are going to give him his time to develop. Such a young player needs time. Manchester United is a huge club with huge responsibility; the Premier League is the same. So let’s give him time, but we’re happy with what he is doing, step by step.”

Goals: Marouane Fellaini 44′, Romelu Lukaku 47′, Scott McTominay 70′

Manchester United: Romero (J. Pereira 61), Darmian (Fosu-Mensah 46′), Bailly (Lindelof 46′), Jones (Smalling 46′), Blind (Mitchell 46′), Carrick (Tuanzebe 46′), Fellaini (Herrera 46′), Pogba (McTominay 61), Mata (A. Pereira 46′), Mkhitaryan (Martial 46′), Rashford (Lukaku 46′)

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Starting XI: Rashford leads the line against Valerenga

30 July 2017 by

Manchester United take on Valerenga at the Ullevaal Stadium in Oslo, Norway this evening. The two sides last met in pre-season during the summer of 2012, before Robin van Persie arrived at the club with the final result being a 0-0 stalemate. United will be looking to change that this summer, leaving Norway with a victory in the back which will keep the team in good spirits ahead of their next pre-season match against Sampdoria on Wednesday evening in Dublin, Ireland. Jose Mourinho has a nearly full team at his disposal with only Luke Shaw, Ashley Young and Marcos Rojo on the sidelines. Both Ander Herrera and Juan Mata should be fit enough to be involved. Herrera has travelled with the team as he was seen in the images put out by the club earlier in the day.

Manchester United:

Romero;

Fosu-Mensah, Bailly, Jones, Blind;

Carrick, Fellaini, Pogba;

Mata, Rashford, Mkhitaryan

Substitutes:

J. Pereira; Darmian, Lindelof, Mitchell, Smalling, Tuanzebe; Herrera, McTominay, A. Pereira; Martial, Lukaku

United have one more pre-season match left of the summer against Sampdoria at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Wednesday evening. Then, United face Real Madrid in Skopje, Macedonia to contest the UEFA Super Cup this summer where the UEFA Champions League holders will be pitted against the UEFA Europa League winners for supremacy ahead of the new season. United kick off their Premier League season at Old Trafford with West Ham United their first opposition on Sunday 13th August 2017. United’s pre-season has been a good one with five matches played in the United States of America, three being won in 90 minutes, one on penalties and one defeat. United will be looking to beat Valerenga this evening.

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Preview: Mourinho looking to see his team score in Oslo on Sunday!

28 July 2017 by

Valerenga -v- Manchester United

Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway

Sunday 30th July 2017; KO 18:00 BST

Live on MUTV in the United Kingdom

Manchester United face Valerenga at the Ullevaal Stadium in Olso, Norway on Sunday, their sixth pre-season match of the summer. United will travel to Dublin, Ireland to face Italian side Sampdoria a few days later which will wrap up the club’s pre-season tour of the United States of America, Norway and Ireland this summer. United have one more match before the Premier League season commence with the UEFA Super Cup match against Real Madrid, the second time the two clubs have faced each other this season, being played in Skopje, Macedonia on Tuesday 8th August, just five days before the club entertains West Ham United at Old Trafford on Sunday 13th August 2017. This has been a good pre-season tour with United winning four matches; LA Galaxy, Real Salt Lake and Manchester, one on penalties; Real Madrid and being defeated once, at the hands of Barcelona.

Valerenga have not done all that well this season and sit in seventh place in the Tippeligaen with 16 matches played, it should have been 17 but a match earlier this month was postponed. The club have scored 22 goals in the league, one of them an own goal, so scoring goals seems to be a problem for the Norwegian side led by former Celtic manager Ronny Deila. United will be looking for another victory in this match after failing to beat the side on their pre-season tour five years ago, suffering a 0-0 draw, which is something us supporters have become used to over the past few years. United should have a full squad to take to Norway with Luka Shaw, Ashley Young, and Marcos Rojo all out of action.

Jose Mourinho could well allow some youth players to be given a chance against Valerenga on Sunday with many not really getting many minutes during the USA leg of the tour over the past fortnight. The likes of Joel Pereira, Demetri Mitchell, Axel Tuanzebe, Scott McTominay and Timothy Fosu-Mensah could well be starting the match as Mourinho will be looking to see with the player on the fringe of the first team can offer ahead of the new season. United are still looking for two more signings this summer; a defensive minded midfielder and a winger, which could well be the difference ahead of the new season with Mourinho’s United expected to challenge in the Premier League and beyond.

Have Manchester United have been involved in a 0-0 stalemate against Valerenga in pre-season

Manchester United and Valerenga were involved in a 0-0 stalemate back in the summer of 2012 as Sir Alex Ferguson embarked on his last campaign as Manchester United manager. The match was played at the Ullevaal Stadion on the 5th August 2012 with Ferguson having a strong side in Norway with Anders Lindegaard, Antonio Valencia, Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand, Michael Keane, Nani, Michael Carrick, Paul Scholes, Ashley Young, Wayne Rooney, and Danny Welbeck all starting. Anderson, Nick Powell, Jesse Lingard, Javier Hernandez and Shinji Kagawa all being substitutes in the draw. David De Gea, Phil Jones, Dimitar Berbatov, and Federico Macheda did not play in the match. Of course, at the time in 2012 United had not yet signed Robin van Persie from Arsenal, his signing coming in the weeks after the match. United will be looking to break the deadlock this summer in Oslo.

Team News: Juan Mata and Ander Herrera could both be fit to face Valerenga

Jose Mourinho has confirmed that Chris Smalling and Victor Lindelof will be paired in the centre of defence for the match in Norway with both Ander Herrera and Juan Mata both likely to return after suffering injuries in the USA. Mata came off against Real Salt Lake and did not recover to take part in the following three matches, whereas Herrera came off almost as soon as he came on against Real Madrid. Shaw, Young and Rojo will, of course, miss this match, but could well travel with the team for Sunday’s match. Mourinho, speaking to the official Manchester United website on Tuesday about Herrera and Mata, said:

“They cannot play tomorrow [against Barcelona] but I think they will recover in time to be integrated with the team when we go back to work next Saturday. They will probably play on Sunday [against Valerenga].”

Predicted Starting XI: Talented youth could be given a shot against Valrenga in Oslo

Match Prediction:

Valerenga 1-3 Manchester United

Filed Under: First Team, Managers, Match Previews, Opinion Tagged With: , , , , ,

Scouting The Opposition: Valerenga looking to learn from Manchester United match to inspire them this season?

28 July 2017 by

Manchester United travel to Oslo, Norway for Sunday’s match against Valerenga. It will be United’s sixth pre-season match of the summer with one more remaining before the UEFA Super Cup against Real Madrid on the 8th August. United have played Valerenga before during the pre-season tour of 2012, the start of the final season under the guidance of Sir Alex Ferguson. The result in that match was 0-0, hopefully, that will not be the scoreline again this summer at the Ullevaal Stadion on Sunday. The match will kick off at 18:00 BST and will be broadcast live on MUTV in the United Kingdom.

Valerenga’s season is around the half way point after it started on the 3rd April 2017 with 16 matches played with the side sitting seventh in the Tippeligaen, three points about their finishing place last season. Rosenborg currently sits at the top of the league with twelve points more than Valerenga in seventh place. Ronny Deila’s side will need to put in a lot of work to finish in a higher place this season with only five points between them in seventh in 14th place, which carries a relegation play off at the end of the season to avoid the drop into the lower leagues. Valerenga will be looking to ensure they continue the form from their last six matches in which they have not lost, drawing four and winning just twice.

Ronny Deila was the former manager of Celtic before former Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers took the position. Delia seems to have his work cut out for him in his native Norway. Former Manchester United striker and reserve league coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer still manages Molde in the Tippeligaen, his side beating Valerenga 4-0 in the fourth game of the season, played on the 17th April 2017. Valerenga has a game in hand over five of the six teams above them at this stage of the season after their clash with Haugesund, who sit fifth in the league with two points more than Valerenga, was cancelled on the 12th July. Valerenga have not played since the 17th July, a 1-1 draw against Kristiansund. Valerenga will face Elverum in the fourth round of the Norwegian Cup.

The Norwegian side will not play another Tippeligaen match for a week after the pre-season friendly with Manchester United this Sunday. It is fair to suggest Deila’s side will be looking to challenge United, stopping them from scoring five years ago in their last pre-season friendly, ending 0-0 despite United having many chances to score. United will have the majority of their squad with Luke Shaw, Ashley Young, and Marcos Rojo remaining on the sidelines through injury, which should see them back in September, October and December respectively. Goals are something Valerenga seem to be struggling with this season, scoring just 22 (one of them an own goal) in 17 Tippeligaen matches this season with the league leaders scoring 33 goals so far in this campaign.

Midfielder Ghayas Zahid is the club top scorer in the league, scoring five goals, plus a further three in the Norwegian Cup. Forward Bård Finne has four goals in the league, plus another in the cup. Defender Jonatan Tollås has three goals in the league. Forward Mohammed Abdellaoue and midfielder Herman Stengel both have two league goals with forward Muhamed Keita, midfielders Magnus Grødem and Christian Grindheim and defenders Robert Lundström and Enar Jääger all scoring one goal a piece. Valerenga had also capitalised form an own goal during the league season.

Looking at the goals scored during the first half of the season, comparing that to Manchester United’s squad, even with the youth being given a chance, I don’t think Valerenga will have the tools required to beat Jose Mourinho’s side, but never say never in football. Stranger things have happened. One thing is for sure, the Norwegian Red Devils will be happy to see their team play in their native country once again this summer.

Filed Under: First Team, Managers, Opinion, Scouting The Opposition Tagged With: , , , , ,

Report: Marcus Rashford, Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial sink LA Galaxy

16 July 2017 by

Manchester United beat LA Galaxy 5-2 with Marcus Rashford scoring a brace, his first goal inside the first three minutes of the match. Marouane Fellaini also scored in the first half with Jesse Lingard assisting twice, Juan Mata also assisting. It was a game of two halves for United though with the entire XI being changed for the second half with Jose Mourinho looking to give all of his fit players a chance to impress and gain match fitness. Henrikh Mkhitaryan scored the fourth goal of the match, assisted by Anthony Martial, who also scored the fifth goal, with Timothy Fosu-Mensah assisting for the Frenchman. The Galaxy scored twice in the second half to peg back United’s 5-0 lead to a 5-2 victory.

Jose Mourinho has tried out a new formation with his side in the first pre-season match of the summer; 3-5-2. David De Gea started in goal with Phil Jones, Chris Smalling, and Daley Blind in defence. Antonio Valencia and Jesse Lingard were utilised as wing-backs with Ander Herrera, Michael Carrick and Marouane Fellaini playing in midfield. Juan Mata and Marcus Rashford were the forward players. Mourinho confirmed that the entire starting XI would be changed in the second half, his team seemingly getting equal amounts of time on the pitch throughout the first pre-season match. LA Galaxy started a second-string XL, being halfway through their season.

United started off well with the experimental formation, which was played a few times last season. The Red Devils looked pretty good on the ball going forward but were offside with LA Galaxy winning a free-kick. Jesse Lingard won the ball on the left flank, tipping it to Marcus Rashford at the edge of the box, scoring a goal just over two minutes into the match. A great start for United. In the 15th minute, Juan Mata tried to chip the keeper from the edge of the box with the Galaxy keeper getting a touch on the ball to deny the Spaniard from scoring United’s second goal of the match. Great start for United who were dominating the match so far.

United continued to dominate the match and in the 20th minute, Mata played a perfect pass into Rashford who buried his second goal of pre-season with United now leading 2-0, making this LA Galaxy side look like amateurs. United have started their summer pre-season matches in good stead, which will impress Mourinho who will be looking for this to continue as it will build the confidence up throughout the matches played ahead of the Premier League opener in a months time against West Ham United at Old Trafford. United did not seem afraid to shoot from range, which was great to see.

After just 26 minutes, United were 3-0 up through Marouane Fellaini with Lingard setting the Belgian midfielder up, his second of the match so far. United looked likely to run away with this match in the bag halfway through the first half. In the 28th minute, Lingard tried a curler into the top far corner of the net, missing the target, unfortunately. Perhaps this pre-season, supporters will see what Lingard brings to the team, as that has been shown in this match so far, but many will suggest it is only a second-string LA Galaxy team, which is pathetic. Yes, he’s not a fans favourite, but his work rate is immense and this could well be the season he becomes a star.

Rashford had the chance for a hat-trick in the 34th minute of the match with his close-range shot whistling over the crossbar. United are not letting their opposition get any space with United passing well in the attacking third, picking the team apart and playing to their strengths. Many saw this lacklustre starting XI as a problem, but it is far from that at this moment in the match. United had another chance at goal with Antonio Valencia on the right flank receiving the ball, passing inside the box, getting the ball back and crossing in front of the face of the goal with Fellaini receiving and United failing to get a credible shot on goal. Galaxy were panicking a little.

In the 40th minute of the match, Rashford was on the ball rushing into the box and he passed to Mata, whose shot was thwarted. United could have been 4-0 up but will settle for being 3-0 up with five minutes left in the first half. United will change the entire side after the break, which could see United dominate even more with Romelu Lukaku looking for a debut goal. United scored a fourth goal through Chris Smalling, but offside was given with the Galaxy let off a little there. Rashford had another run into the box, one-on-one with the goalkeeper, shooting for his hat-trick with the keeper thwarting his effort. United led 3-0 at the break.

At the start of the second half, Mourinho made eleven changes with Joel Pereira, Timothy Fosu-Mensah, Axel Tuanzebe, Victor Lindelof, Eric Bailly, Matteo Darmian, Paul Pogba, Andreas Pereira, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Anthony Martial and Romelu Lukaku all coming on for United. In the 49th minute of the match, Lukaku had the chance to score his debut goal after a Galaxy player made the mistake. The attempt was thwarted by the Galaxy goalkeeper though. In the 53rd minute, Lukaku got another chance, winning the ball in the final third, retaining it through his strength and having a shot, which was off target.

Anthony Martial had a great chance to score United’s fourth goal in the 59th minute of the match, his shot was just over the crossbar though, but it was a great effort from distance. United had another chance to score a fourth with Henrikh Mkhitaryan passing to Lukaku, then the Belgian passing back to the Armenian, whose shot on goal was off target. Matteo Darmian had a shot on goal too, which took a deflection and won United a corner. Andreas Pereira took the corner, putting the ball into the box with Victor Lindelof waiting to strike, hitting the ball over the crossbar. United were still in control of the match, despite not scoring, so far, in the second half.

United scored their fourth goal of the game through Mkhitaryan who cool effort was assisted by Martial. United were 4-0 up and cruising to their first victory of the pre-season tour. Martial scored United’s fifth goal which was assisted by Fosu-Mensah, who chased down the ball on the right flank, passing into the Frenchman, who found the back of the net. United were 5-0 up and starting to humiliate the struggling MLS Western Conference side. Martial, after some good interplay, attempted to score United sixth goal with a curling effort, which was thwarted by the goalkeeper.

LA Galaxy scored in the 79th minute with Joel Pereira conceding a goal, which he could do nothing to prevent with Giovani Dos Santos scoring the goal. It was now 5-1 to United, who will be disappointed to concede a goal in what was starting to look like a rout. Galaxy had the chance to score a second goal with Pereira making a great save to deny them. Mkhitaryan was injured in the box during the attempt on goal, receiving treatment on the pitch, seeming alright to continue the match. Martial had another chance for a goal, beating his man and his shot going wide of the mark. Fosu-Mensah was replaced in the 85th minute of the match with Demetri Mitchell coming on, switching with Darmian, who moved to right-back.

Galaxy scored their second goal in the 88th minute of the match, which seemed to take a deflection, Dos Santos the goalscorer. It was now 5-2 to United, which will take away a lot of the work which was put in throughout the first half. Pereira was unlucky to concede twice in his 45-minute outing, which was not all on him. United will take away the victory, which will spur the team on ahead of their next match on Monday (early hours Tuesday morning in the United Kingdom) against Real Salt Lake. Lukaku did not score his debut goal, but he played well, which was encouraging. Onwards to the next match in Utah.

Goals: Marcus Rashford 3′, 20′, Marouane Fellaini 26′, Henrikh Mkhitaryan 67′, Anthony Martial 72′

Assists: Jesse Lingard 3′, 26′, Juan Mata 20′, Anthony Martial 67′, Timothy Fosu-Mensah 72′

Manchester United: De Gea (J. Pereira 46′); Jones (Bailly 46′), Smalling (Lindelof, 46′), Blind (Tuanzebe 46′); Valencia (Fosu-Mensah 46′ (Mitchell 85′), Herrera (Mkhitaryan 46′), Carrick (A. Pereira 46′), Fellaini (Pogba 46;), Lingard (Darmian 46′); Mata (Lukaku 46′), Rashford (Martial 46′)

Filed Under: First Team, Managers, Match Reports, Opinion Tagged With: , , , , ,

Starting XI: Mourinho to play three at the back against LA Galaxy

16 July 2017 by

Manchester United commence their pre-season tour of the United States of America against MLS side LA Galaxy in an evening kick off in Los Angeles. Jose Mourinho’s United will begin a new era at the club with new summer signings Victor Lindelof, signed for £30.7 million from Benfica earlier this summer and £75 million signing Romelu Lukaku formerly of Everton. Mourinho has confirmed that he still expects to sign some new faces this summer with Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic linked to the Old Trafford club, with the player not heading out on the club’s pre-season tour this summer and Inter Milan winger Ivan Perisic, who also has not gone on his club’s pre-season tour with him reportedly heading to Croatia to see a dentist?

Manchester United:

De Gea;

Jones, Smalling, Blind;

Valencia, Herrera, Carrick, Fellaini, Lingard;

Mata, Rashford

Substitutes:

J. Pereira; Lindelof, Bailly, Darmian, Tuanzebe; Pogba, A. Pereira, Mkhitaryan, Fosu-Mensah; Lukaku, Martial

United will face Real Salt Lake on Monday (the early hours of Tuesday morning in the United Kingdom), Manchester City on Thursday (early Friday morning in the UK), Real Madrid on Sunday 23rd June (late night kick off in the UK) and Barcelona on Wednesday 26th July, 00:30 on the Thursday morning in the UK. United will then head back to Europe facing Valerenga in Oslo, Sampdoria in Dublin and Real Madrid again in Macedonia, this time contesting the UEFA Super Cup.

Filed Under: First Team, Managers, News, Opinion, Starting XI Tagged With: , , , , ,

Preview: Romelu Lukaku to be unleashed against LA Galaxy in pre-season opener?

14 July 2017 by

LA Galaxy -v- Manchester United

StubHub Centre, Carson, Los Angeles

Saturday 15th July 2017; KO 19:00 PDT / Sunday 16th July; KO 03:00 BST

Live on MUTV in the United Kingdom

Manchester United commence their pre-season tour of the United States of America with an opener against MLS side LA Galaxy. The last time the two sides met was during the pre-season tour in 2014 with United ripping the side apart in a 7-0 thriller. That was a Chevrolet Cup match with Danny Welbeck scoring the opener, Wayne Rooney scoring a brace, including one from the spot, and Reece James and Ashley Young both scoring braces. That sort of scoreline will be expected again as United have a much better team this summer and it will be the start of a new era after Rooney left the Old Trafford club last weekend to return to his boyhood club, Everton. Romelu Lukaku has traded places with Rooney and United new beast-mode striker will be looking to impress the manager, Jose Mourinho ahead of the Premier League season.

United will have plenty of matches to play this summer, which could not be said last summer with the ill-fated Manchester derby in Beijing being called off because of the state of the pitch, which was poorer than poor at the time. United will play five matches in the United States of America, two being friendlies, three being part of the International Champions Cup, a pre-season competition wich United won in the summer of 2014, also appearing in the tournament the following year in the USA and last year in China, which was a washout. Two days after this match in Carson, United will head to Sandy, Utah to face Real Salt Lake at the Rio Tinto Stadium before heading to Houston, Texas to face Manchester City at the NRG Stadium, the back to Santa Clara, California to face Real Madrid at the Levi’s Stadium before heading to Washington DC to face Barcelona at the FedEx Field, which is in Landover, Maryland.

United manager Mourinho has confirmed that David De Gea, a target for Real Madrid this summer, and Joel Pereira, United’s third-choice goalkeeper will play 45 minutes a piece in the match against LA Galaxy, with Sergio Romero and Pereira playing against Real Salt Lake and De Gea and Romero both playing against Manchester City. Nothing has been said about the matches against Real Madrid and Barcelona, so by the time they come around, United may be looking to give De Gea 90 minutes in each match, or share the loan between him and Romero or all three with Pereira likely yo get another chance this summer. It is certainly an exciting time with the arrivals of Victor Lindelof and Lukaku and to see the Swedish defender possibly paired with Eric Bailly, who arrived last summer, could well be the start of something good for United.

LA Galaxy are not having a good season in the MLS Western Conference sitting in eighth place after 18 matches in which they have won six, lost eight and drawn four times. They will be much fitter than United though being that this is the middle of their season, so that will be a challenge for United, who have been in Los Angeles training ready for the match all week. Mourinho will be looking for fitness from his squad with the matches coming thick and fast throughout the pre-season tour giving little rest ahead of the new Premier League season which will have started in a months time. United have faced LA Galaxy before in that 7-0 thriller and Mourinho may well be looking for something similar as he bids to give as many players time on the pitch as he can.

Possible Starting XI:

Match Prediction:

LA Galaxy 0-5 Manchester United

Filed Under: First Team, Managers, Match Previews, Opinion Tagged With: , , , , ,

copyright: JW