Manchester United returned to pre-season action as they traveled to Scotland to take on Rangers at Murrayfield Stadium.
United suffered a narrow 1-0 loss at the hands of Rosenborg earlier in the week and were undoubtedly keen on producing a much more spirited performance as they step up their preparations ahead of the upcoming 2024/25 season.
Erik ten Hag started Andre Onana in goal with a back-four of Aaron Wan-Bissaka, new signing Leny Yoro, Jonny Evans, and Sam Murray ahead of the goalkeeper.
The United boss deployed a starting midfield trio of Casemiro, Toby Collyer, and Mason Mount.
Once again, Ethan Wheatley led the line. On this occasion, he was flanked by Jadon Sancho and Amad Diallo on either side of him.
Here are three things we learned from Manchester United’s 2-0 win against Rangers.
Yoro superb
Heading into the match, all eyes were on United’s latest arrival, Yoro, and he certainly didn’t disappoint the fans.
The Frenchman slotted perfectly right next to Evans and barely looked out of place. Early in the opening 45 minutes, he produced a sensational diagonal ball to Murray that elicited a roar from the crowd.
Minutes later, he came up with a sensational last-ditch tackle that kept Rangers from grabbing the opener. There was an instance in which Yoro and Evans mixed themselves up, causing a Rangers player to intercept the ball before charging at Onana’s goal.
However, the impressive Yoro retreated and blocked the shot.
An aspect of the 18-year-old’s game that really stuck out was his incredible ability on the ball. His passing was calm, measured, and assured.
Even when under pressure, Yoro didn’t panic and he always managed to find a United teammate. He was immense in United’s efforts to play out from the back.
It was also very noticeable how much he seemed to communicate on the pitch. On multiple occasions, the teenager could be spotted issuing instructions and gesturing to others to get into the right positions.
When attacking set-pieces, Yoro was constantly on the move – something that will undoubtedly prove to be invaluable for United during the season.
Amad deserves to have a prominent role in the team going forward
Amad was undoubtedly United’s main source of attacking threat when he was on the pitch.
The Ivorian was a constant live wire and gave the Rangers backline plenty to think about. Amad was also very unpredictable on the ball. He went both inside and outside, which troubled his marker.
He linked up well with Wan-Bissaka and Carrington academy graduate Wheatley. Unsurprisingly, Amad broke the deadlock just six minutes before the break.
The forward got on the end of a pass from Mount, expertly cut inside and then sent the ball into the bottom corner with his left foot.
Amad seems to have picked up where he left off in the latter stages of last term and if his sensational display vs. Rangers is anything to go by, Ten Hag and his coaching staff would be best served by ensuring the winger plays a prominent role in their plans in the 2024/25 campaign.
Last season, he primarily had to contend with a place on the bench but going forward, he should be one of the first names on the team sheet.
United can still kick up an extra few gears
United’s performance dropped one or two levels in the second half as Ten Hag made a plethora of personnel changes.
The Dutch coach made 10 outfield changes, with Onana the only survivor from the team that started. The team that played in the second period of the match was made up of youngsters.
Unsurprisingly, Rangers had a bit more joy but even then, United managed to double their lead through Joe Hugill. The striker was slipped in by Maxi Oyedele and produced an emphatic finish via the woodwork that the opposition goalkeeper simply had no chance of keeping out.
While the Red Devils were much better at Murrayfield than they were against Rosenborg a few days ago, it’s clear that there’s still a lot of work to do before the players are fully up and running.
