4 things we learned from Man Utd's USA pre-season tour

Manchester United rounded off pre-season with a three-stop tour of the United States as Erik ten Hag laid the best foundations he could for a crunch 2024/25 campaign under new senior leadership.

The summer had started with a trip to Norway, a common summer jaunt for United in recent times, to face local giants Rosenborg. That one ended in defeat, but a game in Edinburgh against Rangers presented a win, before then flying to the United States.

With players returning from post-Euro 2024 and Copa America holidays in dribs and drabs, a more senior squad travelled across the Atlantic Ocean as United first touched down in Los Angeles. A 2-1 defeat to Arsenal there was followed by a pre-arranged penalty shoot-out that they won. Then, on to San Diego to face Real Betis and win 3-2, with four of the goals in the first half alone. Finally, in South Carolina on the east coast and on the way home, a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Liverpool.

Typically, United would host a curtain-raising summer friendly at Old Trafford before the Premier League begins. But with the Community Shield at Wembley against Manchester City on Saturday, followed by the league opener against Fulham six days later, there has been no time.

Here are four things we learned from United's time in the United States.

1. Injuries still a problem

Injuries arguably defined 2023/24, with so many key players ruled out at various points of the campaign and routinely denying Ten Hag his strongest team. Absences for Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez and Luke Shaw were keenly felt in particular and a major contributing factor behind leaking goals.

Varane is gone, and Martinez and Shaw didn't go on tour due to playing in international finals. But United secured a £52m deal for teenage prodigy Leny Yoro, convincing him that Real Madrid wasn't the right next step for him. The issue now is that Yoro, injured in the first half against Arsenal, might not make his competitive debut until early November. The Frenchman has undergone surgery on his foot problem and will be out for three months.

Rasmus Hojlund will also miss the start of the season. He scored against Arsenal but a hamstring injury forced him off soon after. The Dane is estimated to be out for between three and six weeks, or at least until the other side of the September international break.

2. A role for Amad

Amad Diallo returned to United's pre-season squad last summer off the back of a really promising loan at Sunderland. But injury ruled him out for several months and derailed his progress.

By the end of the campaign, the Ivorian winger, now 22, was getting regular game time. He scored the stoppage-time-of-extra-time winning goal against Liverpool in the FA Cup and was afforded a first Premier League start in three years. It was momentum that was important to build on and Amad has benefitted just by being available when others have not.

He scored against former loan club Rangers before the tour and also netted against Real Betis. There were starts ahead of Antony each time, and while there wasn't competition from Alejandro Garnacho due to international duty pushing back his holiday, Ten Hag needs options to drive United up the table this coming season and Amad is one.

3. Room for improvement

United were beaten by both Arsenal and Liverpool, but Ten Hag will focus on performances from rotation players and not the results. The simple fact is, this was far from the full squad he will have when the season begins for real.

Bruno Fernandes, Kobbie Mainoo, Luke Shaw, Lisandro Martinez, Alejandro Garnacho, Diogo Dalot and new signing Joshua Zirkzee played no part at all. In United's strongest XI, arguably only Zirkzee of those seven doesn't start, and the Dutchman likely will do at Wembley in the Community Shield and against Fulham because of Hojlund's absence.

Ten Hag would have liked a fuller squad to get closer to the real thing before games start counting, but at least this was an opportunity to work with some of the fringe players he might need to lean on later.

4. Watch out for Amass

Timing and opportunity is everything in football and 17-year-old Harry Amass might just be in the right place at the right time.

With Luke Shaw not on tour and Tyrell Malacia training back at Carrington after a whole season out injured, United didn't have a senior left-back in the States. Early pre-season chances had gone to Sam Murray, but it was Amass who routinely got the nod to start against Arsenal, Real Betis and Liverpool, playing more than half of the latter two fixtures.

Amass, who has recently been name-dropped by Shaw as one to watch, was on the first-team bench a number of times in the closing stages of last season and is well-placed to make his competitive senior debut sooner rather than later.

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