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Manchester United made a promising start to their pre-season campaign, securing a 2-0 victory over Australian side Perth Glory at the Optus Stadium on Sunday. The visitors, Manchester United received a huge welcome from the packed house and then outclassed the home side in all departments of the game.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer began with a starting line-up in the 4-2-3-1 formation, with United's no.9 Romelu Lukaku missing out of the squad due to a minor injury. However, there were a number of young prodigies in the starting line-up. United's first summer signing of the transfer window, Daniel James, made his first start in the away kit.
Sergio Romero made the cut under the bars. Phil Jones, Axel Tuanzebe, Ashley Young and Diogo Dalot completed the back four. Nemanja Matic started the match as the holding midfielder with Andreas Pereira in the supporting role. The boss decided to go with a young frontline, as the likes of Daniel James, Tahith Chong and Anthony Martial made it to the eleven. Jesse Lingard was given the no.10 role by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
In the first half, Manchester United could have scored one or more goals to make the perfect start, but they failed to convert their chances. Daniel James was the one who impressed a lot with his pacy runs and tricky feet. On the other hand, Perth Glory tried to break Manchester United's defense, but the duo of Phil Jones and Axel Tuanzebe were in top form.
In the second half, things were looking better for United, as Ole completely changed the line-up. The presence of Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford provided an extra edge to the Red Devils. Rashford broke the deadlock in the 60th minute of the match. Twenty five minutes later, It was United's highly-rated young defensive midfielder James Garner who extended the lead.
There were a number of players who put up a decent performance. Even if we keep the quality performances of Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Diogo Dalot, Mason Greenwood and Axel Tuanzebe aside, there were three more players who made a hugely-positive impact on the game. So, without any further ado, let us take a look at those three Red Devils.
#3 Marcus Rashford
Marcus Rashford, who was included to the line-up at the beginning of the second half, drew the first blood at the 60th minute of the match.
His left-footed shot from the left side of the pitch went past the opposition goalkeeper with ease. In this match, although Rashford had only one shot on target, he managed to reduce the burden on others by absorbing extra pressure.
In the post-match press conference, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer heaped praise on the English striker by saying,
"[I'm] very pleased with the goal he [Rashford] scored.
"[It was about] instincts. It's not one of the pretty goals but it's a goal. I've said Marcus needs to add to his tally.
"He gets wonder-goals and needs those too."
#2 Paul Pogba
It was Paul Pogba, who made life easier for Manchester United by adding some extra zing at the heart of United's midfield. His encouraging performance could boost team morale for their upcoming matches.
On Saturday, Ole brought Pogba on the field at the start of the second half. In the span of that forty-five minutes, Pogba had 67 touches on the ball and provided 58 passes. He also tried to find the net twice but didn't succeed.
Pogba, who has been linked with a move away from Old Trafford, not only made the assist for the 60th-minute opener but also created three chances throughout the forty-five minutes of the second half.
The most interesting incident regarding Pogba happened at the post-match press conference. When Ole was asked whether he would like to see Pogba as the club's next captain, the Norwegian replied, "Yes."
With Pogba's future still uncertain, it remains to be seen whether he leaves Manchester this summer or accepts the challenge and stay put at Old Trafford.
#1 Daniel James
Wales asset Daniel James made an impressive start of his Manchester United career after making his switch from Swansea City for a transfer fee of £18million this summer.
Daniel James proved again that he is actually capable of playing good football with both legs. He dominated both right and left wings on Saturday against Perth Glory. Although Ole opted to start the game with him on the left wing, James made a quick switch between him and Tahith Chong and went up to the right side of the pitch.
On the right side, James looked as comfortable as he was on the left-wing. He touched the ball 43 times throughout the first forty-five minutes of the match and five times inside the opposition box.
James also created three opportunities and completed 34 passes to become the man of the first pre-season match. United fans could expect this kind of performance from Dan James throughout the 2019-20 season.
