Six things we learned from from Man United's 4-1 win in Melbourne
Erik ten Hag has given himself a Harry Maguire conundrum, Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s Old Trafford days look numbered and don’t rely on Fred too much for the goals… SIX THINGS WE LEARNED from Man United’s 4-1 win in Melbourne
- Manchester United continued their impressive pre-season with another win
- Harry Maguire was caught off guard for Melbourne’s only goal of the game
- Maintaining the captain’s armband does not make the defender bullet-proof
- Aaron Wan-bissaka was an unused sub in Melbourne and could be move on
- Ten Hag is not a miracle worker and won’t be able to make Fred score regularly
Manchester United continued their impressive start to pre-season with a thumping 4-1 victory over Melbourne Victory.
Scott McTominay, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford all scored and Edmond Lupancu added a fourth with an own-goal late on.
Despite the win, some weaknesses were apparent in Erik ten Hag’s team. Below, Sportsmail assesses six things we learned from United’s opening victory in Australia.
Manchester United continued their impressive start to pre-season with a 4-1 win on Friday
One of the problems with keeping Harry Maguire as Manchester United captain is that it means new manager Erik ten Hag really needs to pick him more often than not.
Trouble is, Maguire’s form last season didn’t justify his inclusion ahead of Raphael Varane and Victor Lindelof, and the £46million signing of Lisandro Martinez from Ajax is only going to complicate the situation further.
Maguire made his first appearance in pre-season against Melbourne Victory after missing the win over Liverpool with a tight hamstring, and he was exposed again as the A-League side scored inside five minutes.
Keeping the captain’s armband does not make Harry Maguire bulletproof from being dropped
Maguire was by no means the only United player at fault for the goal, but the sight of him trailing in Chris Ikonomidis’ wake as Melbourne’s No.7 swept the ball home unmarked was painfully familiar to many United fans.
Maguire needs to raise his game after a poor season, and he now faces even greater competition from within the United ranks. Retaining the captain’s armband will grant him a degree of security, but it doesn’t make him bullet-proof.
The other alarming factor about Melbourne’s opening goal was just how high up the pitch Luke Shaw was when United were carved open by their opponents.
Ten Hag wants his full-backs to play as high as possible when United are on the attack, but it will make them vulnerable to Premier League teams that are far more ruthless than Melbourne Victory.
Luke shaw was bypassed with ease due to being high up the pitch for Melbourne’s goal
Yet it looked like a cake walk for the Aussie side in the fifth minute when Shaw and Anthony Elanga were bypassed, and Victor Lindelof was left behind as Ben Folami raced away and crossed for Ikonomidis to score with Maguire nowhere.
United are still getting to grips with Ten Hag’s philosophy, but the new season starts in three weeks. If Melbourne Victory can open them up so easily, then what would happen against a full-strength Manchester City or Liverpool?
It doesn’t help Maguire’s cause at the moment that forgotten man Eric Bailly is catching the eye on tour.
Bailly will be pushed even further down the pecking order by Martinez’s signing, and it would be no surprise at all if the Ivorian is sold this summer.
Eric Bailly made a few mistakes after coming off the bench but made up for it with a an assist
But Bailly gave an excellent performance as a second-half substitute in the 4-0 win over Liverpool in Bangkok, when he even burst forward towards the end to help set up the fourth goal for Facundo Pellistri, and he was at it again in Melbourne.
He made a couple of defensive mistakes after replacing Maguire at the MCG, but proved his worth as an unlikely attacking force when he surged over halfway again in the 78th minute and played a precision throughball for Marcus Rashford to nip and score the third.
These are early days for Ten Hag but he already seems to have reached the same conclusion about Aaron Wan-Bissaka as his predecessor Ralf Rangnick.
United’s former interim boss quickly decided that he preferred Diogo Dalot at right-back and relegated £50m Wan-Bissaka to the bench for much of his time in charge.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka (left) was an unused sub on Friday and he could be sold by United
Ten Hag has started Dalot as part of his first-choice team against both Liverpool and Melbourne. Wan-Bissaka replaced Dalot in the second half in Bangkok, but it was young Ethan Laird who got the nod in Melbourne.
It’s understood that United will listen to offers for Wan-Bissaka and could sign a new right-back before the transfer window closes. An outstanding one-on-one defender, the former Crystal Palace man lacks the technical ability to be a top-class full-back.
Fred may have scored with a sublime chip against Liverpool, but we shouldn’t expect goals to become a regular occurrence for the Brazilian.
When another opportunity opened up for him in Melbourne, Fred swung a left foot at the ball and volleyed it high over the bar. He immediately help up a hand of apology to his teammates, and the camera cut to a scowling Ten Hag on the touchline. The manager is all about making the right decisions on the pitch, and that was the wrong option.
Fred’s goal in Bangkok may have been a sign of the confidence Ten Hag breeds in his players, but the Dutchman isn’t a miracle worker.
Erik ten Hag is not a miracle worker and won’t make Fred get on the scoresheet regularly
Two games, eight goals. Pre-season is a notoriously precarious time to start making bold predictions for the future, but Erik ten Hag couldn’t have made a much better start.
Yes, there have been plenty of mistakes in the games against Liverpool and Melbourne, but that is all part of the pre-season process, particularly under a new manager with a very specific way of playing.
Two handsome victories don’t offer any guarantees for the season ahead, but of all the habits Ten Hag wants to instil in this United team, a winning one really isn’t a bad thing.
Ten Hag couldn’t have hoped for a better start to pre-season, with United scoring eight goals in two games
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