MANCHESTER UNITED’S pre-season got off to a rough start with a 1-0 loss to Championship side Wrexham in Finland.
Yes, many of Michael Carrick‘s stars are missing after playing in the World Cup, but the Red Devils still put out a strong side that featured Luke Shaw, Bryan Mbeumo, Harry Maguire and new £50 million signing Andrey Santos.
Sam Smith scored what proved to be the winner in the late stages of the first half Credit: EPA
Andrey Santos made his debut for United and was one of the few bright spots Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
But it was the Hollywood-backed Wrexham who got the win thanks to Sam Smith – a former Man United academy star – tapping home before half-time.
Results aren’t the most important things in pre-season, so was there any signs of encouragement for United in the performances?
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Not many United players came out of this game with credit, but the ones who did offer some hope moving forward.
FIRST HALF
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Man Utd 0 Wrexham 1
Referee BOOED off as Red Devils suffer shock loss in pre-season opener
Tom Heaton – 6
Was the busier keeper on his first start since last summer‘s tour of the US.
Produced a sharp save to deny Smith just before the offside flag was raised, but otherwise had a largely quiet afternoon.
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Leny Yoro – 6
The Frenchman was surprisingly at ease at right-back. Yoro tried to get forward, but it’s not exactly his game.
Harry Maguire – 6
The skipper on the teamsheets was lauded with cheers in an absolute love-in from fans in the Finnish capital.
United’s backline had been their most solid unit in the first half, until Maguire was nutmegged by James O’Brien’s cross for Wrexham’s opener.
Luke Shaw – 4
Made the wrong decision for the goal, leaving Smith to follow a runner in the middle. Needs more minutes in his legs after a limited performance at left-back.
Ayden Heaven – 6
The teen came in clutch with two last-ditch tackles, but the second wonderfully timed one on Bailey Cadamateri woke the crowd up from their slumber.
Patrick Dorgu – 5
Struggled to impose himself, but had United’s first shot on 24 minutes. An extremely quiet 45 minutes.
Jack Fletcher – 5
Eager to shake off a tough finish to last season, the youngster beat his brother Tyler to the punch to claim crucial senior minutes.
He put in a real shift in the No10 role, leading the press effectively, even if his final ball and end product lacked a little polish tonight.
Andrey Santos – 7
The man of the hour overcame a ropey start after losing the ball twice in dangerous areas to leave Heaton’s goal vulnerable.
But the £22m signing soon settled, creating two chances and finding nice pockets of space in front of the box. His block on Smith drew the loudest applause.
Mason Mount – 5
The midfield pair, worth a combined £110m, should in theory have been running rings around 34-year-old Matty James. He lost George Thomason’s run for Wrexham’s goal.
His inswinging corner did lead to United’s best chance of the first half as it was inadvertently headed against his own bar by Smith.
Luke Shaw looks like he needs more minutes at left-back Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
It was not the best day at the office for Bryan Mbuemo Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
Bryan Mbeumo – 5
Another one who struggled to get involved in the action. He was lonely on the right amid the slow tempo.
Mbeumo should have had his full-back George Thomason on toast, but it was the latter who played a huge hand in the opener with a skilful dribble.
Joshua Zirkzee – 4
With Zirkzee spearheading the attack in the first half, it is glaringly obvious just how much transfer work United still have left to do.
Ineos are already scanning the market for a new frontman to share the burden with Benjamin Sesko, who sat out the trip to Helsinki to focus on recovery at Carrington.
SECOND HALF
Radek Vitek – 6
Saved with his feet from Keillor-Dunn after Wrexham had found space in behind the United defence.
Dan Armer – 6
Stood up to the challenge of testing Wales international Kieffer Moore but was relatively untested.
Harry Amass – 7
Combined nicely with Ethan Williams down the left but was left frustrated after sliding in to beat Ryan Barnett to the ball, only to be deftly evaded.
Jayden Kamason – 6
Picked up a yellow card after a heavy touch from a Lacey pass saw him go clattering into George Dobson.
Tyler Fletcher – 7
Wore the armband for the second-half academy string and led by example, always hunting for the ball.
Jacob Devaney – 6
Handed a tough assignment out of position at the heart of the defence. Though heavily mismatched in height against Moore, he rose to the occasion.
Dan Gore – 7
Showed his trademark grit in the tackles, looking like a player who has benefited immensely from senior minutes at Rotherham.
Kept things ticking over nicely in possession and caught the eye with a bursting run down the inside-right channel.
Toby Collyer – 6
Pushed into a more advanced position but struggled to make a lasting impact against a savvy, veteran Championship string that choked out his time on the ball.
Manchester United’s Jaydan Kamason and Wrexham’s Davis Keillor-Dunn battle Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
Harry Amass was one of the United youngsters who performed well on the day Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
Shea Lacey – 7
Another impressive outing for the youngster, who looked bright whenever he locked horns with his fullback.
Though he was somewhat starved of possession, he provided a flash of his immense quality with one sublime, cushioned touch to bring down a difficult crossfield pass.
Ethan Williams – 6
Showed composure under pressure, notably absorbing a heavy challenge to slide a clever, well-timed pass back to Amass.
Aside from that link-up, he was kept relatively quiet and rarely found the space to isolated and run at his marker.
Ethan Wheatley – 6
Put in a tireless, hard-working shift leading the line but was ultimately left isolated by a lack of quality service.
