'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Manchester United traveled to Singapore to play their third game of pre-season and the first game of the International Champions Cup. United were scheduled to play Inter Milan at the Singapore National Stadium on Saturday.
The Red Devils had started their pre-season well, winning both of their games in Australia and playing free-flowing attacking football in the process. Inter Milan, though, were about to be their first real test of the summer, but it certainly was one that Solskjaer was looking forward to.
The Norwegian named a strong line up accordingly. He started with De Gea in goal, while Shaw, Tuanzebe, Lindelof, and Wan-Bissaka starting in a back four. Pogba and Matic started as a double pivot in the midfield, while Lingard played in the Number 10 role. Martial started through the middle in attack, while Rashford started on the left and Daniel James on the right.
United started the game well and pressed right from the start. But the Red Devils failed to find a breakthrough and the game ended 0-0 at the break. In the second half, Solskjaer made quite a few changes, and United looked lively, but the goal eluded them.
However, it was Mason Greenwood who scored in the 76th minute and gave United the lead. The Red Devils rallied until the dying minutes, and the game ended 1-0.
The efforts of the entire team would have pleased Solskjaer, but he will be delighted with the performance of these 5 players, who were brilliant on the night.
#5 Axel Tuanzebe
The Englishman started in the United defense alongside Lindelof and regularly stepped out to crowd up the midfield. Since Matic had a night to forget, it was Tuanzebe’s decisive play that helped United cope with the Inter midfield. His passing was tidy, he rarely looked out of place and he even allowed Lindelof to play his natural game.
As United pressed from high up on the field, there was a fear of Inter breaking away on the counter. Tuanzebe was always at the right place at the right time to prevent that. In the heart of the United defense, Tuanzebe's speed and body strength already looks like an asset and the young man never looked out of place against Inter Milan.
#4 Anthony Martial
Anthony Martial got a lot of stick last season due to his work ethic and his inconsistencies on the pitch. The Frenchman seems to have matured over the summer and against Inter Milan, Martial had one of his better days. Solskjaer decided to play him through the middle and Martial responded in style.
The Frenchman was full of confidence throughout the game, taking players on with ease and giving the Inter Milan defense jitters with his quick feet. Martial combined well with the other forward players and led the line admirably. Even though he could not score, the Frenchman gave a great account of himself and Solskjaer will surely be pleased with his efforts on the field.
However, what will please United fans and the manager both is the work put in by Martial on the pitch. He looked like a shadow of his former, lethargic self and was a completely different player. He dropped down, closed the opposition with intent and even pressed from the top. Solskjaer will now hope that Martial can carry forward this form into the new season.
#3 Aaron Wan-Bissaka
The Englishman has been impressive so far in pre-season but has taken time to adjust to the requirements of playing for Manchester United. Wan-Bissaka has been guilty of lacking attacking ambition at times, and perhaps it was one change that Solskjaer would have wanted from him. Against Inter Milan though, there were no complaints.
Wan-Bissaka was certainly the pick of the United defenders, tracking back efficiently and ensuring that Inter hardly found any joy through that right side. Even though the Englishman regularly joined the attack, he was hardly caught out of position. Whenever Inter tried to break through, he was the first man flying back and his speed at times was frightening. His tackles were spot on and extremely effective all through the game.
Yet it was his presence in the final third that made all the difference on the night. Wan-Bissaka was arguably one of United’s most potent attackers and he ensured Inter left wing-back Dalbert had a miserable night.
#2 Mason Greenwood
Mason Greenwood is perhaps the one player who will be staking a claim for a spot in the first team that would play against Chelsea in little more than a fortnight. The youngster has been fantastic on tour, showing his speed and skills and also impressing with his finishing ability. He does give Solskjaer a headache during team selection, but it is a worry that the Norwegian would love to get used to.
The youngster came on in the second half and there was an immediate spark in the United attack. Greenwood had a free role, popping up around the box and giving his markers a nightmare. He showed occasional sparks of brilliance right from the start, attempting to take on the entire opposition defense on quite a few occasions. And his moment arrived in the 76th minute.
United won a free-kick and Ashley Young’s shot was parried by Handanovic in the Inter Milan goal right into the path of Greenwood. The youngster showed massive composure in controlling the ball, sending the onrushing defender the wrong way and smashing the ball into the far corner through a crowd of defenders. A natural finisher at his best!
#1 Paul Pogba
Despite all the talk of him leaving this summer, Paul Pogba has hardly looked like a player who wants a move away so far. The Frenchman has been at the heart of everything good at United in pre-season and every time he had the ball at his feet, it looked like he could make things happen. Against Inter Milan too, Pogba was at his prolific best.
Starting beside Matic, who once again had an off day, Pogba orchestrated United’s gameplay until he was substituted in the second half. The Frenchman was massive in the middle of the park, bossing the midfield and bullying the Inter midfielders with ease. His passing was exquisite as always and he almost always found his man with long balls. However, it was his play in the final third that caught the eye.
Pogba toyed with the Inter defense, showing fantastic ball control. He was a menace during the counter-attacks, threading in through balls that kept the opposition on their toes. Only some poor finishing from United’s forward players stopped the Red Devils from taking the lead in the first half. Pogba was the pick of the players once again and United should hold on to him with all their might.
