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Manchester United results, UK media reaction to defeat to Brentford, Cristiano Ronaldo, Erik Ten Hag, Liverpool

Manchester United slumped to a 30-year low as their shocking start to their Premier League campaign continued, proving again when it rains it really does pour.

And monsoon season might be rolling in at Old Trafford ahead of a crunch clash with fierce rivals Liverpool next week.

After losing their opening match of the season at home against Brighton, United were heavily favored to bounce back against Brentford on Sunday morning (AEST).

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But disaster struck, with a goalkeeping howler from David de Gea allowing the Bees to strike first in what would become a 4-0 first-half riot at the Gtech Community Stadium.

It’s safe to say few saw that coming.

Manager Erik ten Hag, much like the rest of the world, was left stunned as the halftime whistle marked both a moment of reprieve and realization for the Red Devils.

The damage had already been done by that point, though, as a scoreless second period saw United languish at the bottom of the Premier League table for the first time in 30 years.

This is also the first time since 1936 United have lost seven straight away league games, while Brentford recorded the biggest win in the top division since 1938.

Premier League greats Gary Neville and Jamie Redknapp reached their boiling points after the abysmal display, as the extent of the defeat added more chaos to the existing drama the club.

“At this moment in time, it’s really desperate. There’s no leadership, there’s no voice, you can’t blame the individual player or the manager, you’ve got to look above and look to the very top,” Neville said on SkySports.

“This week, they’re going to get peppered those players, the coach, the sporting department, the new CO – they’re all going to get peppered. But there’s a family over there in America who are just literally letting their employees take all the hits for them – and that is unforgivable.”

Frustration, shock and disappointment was felt across the country with many of the UK’s leading football scribes weighing in on the reality facing the English giants – if they’re still worthy of that moniker.

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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was at the wheel for the Red Devils until he very much wasn’t, as a poor run of form saw the former United star fired.

Louis van Gaal and David Moyes, another two managers who promised so much before they were sacked, still hadn’t sunk as low as Erik ten Hag after just two matches in charge.

Ten Hag is the first United manager to lose his first two league games since John Chapman in 1921.

Former Chelsea striker Chris Sutton told the BBC United have “hit rock bottom”, while Sky Sports pundit Karen Carney believes that the club “can’t get any lower”.

Premier League legend Alan Shearer believes that issues have been festering for years at the famous club.

Shearer added that the Red Devils are currently “miles away” from the level that they should be playing at — and even suggested recent speculation about a shock move for 33-year-old striker Marko Arnautović may have been an inside job.

“I’m convinced that someone from Man United’s leaked the story linking them with (Marko) Arnautovic, just to see what the reaction was,” Shearer said on Match of the Day.

“I think that sort of sums up where United are.

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“They’re in a mess and it’s going to take time, an unbelievable amount of money to get things right inside the football club and in terms of the right recruitment and it’s going to take a lot of patience from the Manchester United fans because of where they are now to where they want to be – miles away.”

The Telegraph’s Jim White didn’t mince his words as he provided his analysis of United’s “humiliation”, saying that it was the worst performance he’s ever seen by the club.

“Having watched Manchester United for over 50 years, this performance against Brentford is without question the worst I have ever seen them deliver,” White wrote.

“The grim times of Dave Sexton, the misery of the David Moyes era, the negativity of Louis van Gaal, all looked like halcyon days compared to this performance.

“No joy, no coherence, no spirit: this was a team in name only, delivering the kind of performance that Frenkie de Jong would have had on the phone to his agent with instructions to quickly follow up any interest from Chelsea.

“Mistakes happen. But it was the response to that setback that spoke so damagingly of what is going on at Old Trafford. Instead of launching the kind of fight back that once characterized the club, United folded.

“Everywhere they looked hapless, hopeless and haunted.”

Goalkeeper David de Gea, who was once considered to be one of the best players in the world in his position, had an outing to forget in what is becoming a key issue for the club.

Two mistakes from goalkeeper David de Gea saw Manchester United trail 2-0 to Brentford early in their clash on Sunday (AEST).  (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
Two mistakes from goalkeeper David de Gea saw Manchester United trail 2-0 to Brentford early in their clash on Sunday (AEST). (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

The Guardian’s Jonathan Wilson said that while de Gea was still an “excellent shot-stopper”, that his inability to play with the ball at his feet was an issue.

“Can you play out from the back with De Gea? De Gea remains, despite Saturday’s howler, an excellent shot-stopper, which is why last season he was named United’s player of the year for the fourth time,” Wilson wrote.

“But there is a reason he has not played for Spain since October 2020 and why he has apparently fallen behind Brentford’s David Raya in the pecking order.

“He is simply not comfortable on the ball. Last season he completed just 71.3% of his passes. By comparison, Ederson completed 88.1% and Alisson 87.1%.

“While it’s true that’s partly because De Gea was encouraged to play more longer balls, it’s also true that one of the reasons United played more longer balls is De Gea.

Man U HOWLERS gift Brentford goals! | 01:17

“This is a major problem for United: De Gea is one of the few United players who has performed consistently in recent years and yet those struggles with the ball at his feet make it very hard for them to switch to a modern style.

“That, perhaps, is the most disconcerting thing for United. This is supposed to be ten Hag’s honeymoon period, but already he looks in danger of being overwhelmed by just how shambolic the club is … And they’ve got Liverpool next.”

The Athletic’s Adam Crafton said “each week manages to conjure a new sense of stupefying shock” when it came to United, with their fans ruthlessly mocked at half-time.

“At halftime, Brentford, who had not beaten Manchester United since 1938, led their opponents. And this was more than a lead. This was 4-0 and deservedly so,” Crafton wrote.

“There was, in the press box, almost a numbing madness to it all. Brentford’s supporters, too, stared at one another, open-mouthed.

“They taunted their United opponents, telling them they’d be ‘going down with the Fulham’. Fulham, on two points after two games compared to United’s zero, may be offended by the comparison.”

The Red Devils appear to be at a crossroads after failing to sign Arnautovic, as well as other players during the English summer.

Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong has been heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford for what feels like forever, although Chelsea have since emerged as another potential destination.

According to the BBC, United have spent £672 million ($1.14 billion AUD) since winning their last major trophy in 2017, which was the Europa League.

So far during the transfer window, United have signed Tyrell Malacia, Christian Eriksen and Lisandro Martinez.

Club great Rio Ferdinand said that he feels “sorry” for ten Hag after an uneventful transfer window has so far failed to add key players to a struggling squad.

“I don’t feel sorry for the players, I feel sorry for ten Hag,” Ferdinand told the Vibe with Five podcast.

“He’s coming under false pretenses. He’s coming expected new signings.

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“He’s probably sitting there thinking, ‘I’ve been sold a dummy here. I didn’t know I was coming into this’.

“This is an indefensible situation right now because it’s so bad, it’s terrible.

“I mean, we’re only two games in, but we’re two games in on the back of what happened last season as well by the way.

“I wouldn’t blame ten Hag right now. You can pick at his team selection or whatever but this is a bigger problem, a wider problem.”

Midfielder Bruno Fernandes, meanwhile, has been accused of getting “away with murder” on the football field by a former Premier League striker.

Gabby Agbonlahor blasted the Portuguese star on the well-known British radio station talkSPORT.

“For me, Fernandes, since he’s been in the Premier League, yes he’s had great stats, goal scoring and assists but he looks like the worst teammate,” Agbonlagor said.

“Every time a player gives it away, every time he gives it away, he throws his arms up at his teammates, he throws his arms up at the bench.

“I’ve played with players like him, you’d be smoking at him. He’ll press now and then. If that was Paul Pogba they would be slaughtering Pogba in the media.

“Fernandes gets away with murder. Did you see Fernandes do anything? It’s easy to say (Harry) Maguire, (Cristiano) Ronaldo, (Marcus) Rashford, (Jadon) Sancho.”

The Red Devils failed to qualify for this year’s Champions League after finishing sixth in the 2021/22 Premier League season – 35 points behind champions Manchester City.

While they appear set to sign Adrien Rabiot from Juventus, French journalist Julien Laurens also slammed United’s transfer strategy.

“They are not helping themselves,” Laurens told BBC Radio 5 Live’s EuroLeagues podcast.

“The non-existence of a transfer strategy, not just now but since Fergie (Sir Alex Ferguson) left, is not just baffling, it’s outrageous.”

The club have reached a new low as a non-league side threw a jab, literally laughing in the wake of United’s horror loss.

Oldham Athletic’s chairman Frank Rothwell was interviewed after his side’s 3-2 win over Dorking Wanderers, where he made the most of his chance to have a dig.

“Do you know what’s happening to United?” Rothwell said, before he reportedly began to laugh.

Manchester United face rivals Liverpool at Old Trafford on Tuesday week and when it comes to their future

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Manchester United loss to Brentford, Gary Neville reaction, Joel Glazer, David de Gea interview, Erik ten Hag press conference

Manchester United legend Gary Neville says his former team hit “a new low” during its embarrassing loss to Brentford before unleashing on the club’s owners for a hands-off approach that has created a “toxic” environment.

Erik ten Hag’s bad start as Manchester United manager descended into an embarrassment on Sunday morning (AEST) as a 4-0 thrashing by Brentford left the Red Devils bottom of the Premier League for the first time in 30 years.

United have now conceded four goals or more seven times in the Premier League since the start of last season.

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Brentford, who only ended a 74-year absence from English football’s top flight with promotion to the Premier League in August 2021, punished a series of errors to score four times in the first 35 minutes to spark joyous scenes at their west London ground.

United fell behind in woeful fashion when goalkeeper David de Gea somehow let a Josh Dasilva shot slip through his grasp before Mathias Jensen struck as the visitors failed to play out from the back. Ben Mee then exposed United’s frailty from set-pieces for his first Brentford goal and Bryan Mbuemo rounded off a stunning counter-attack 10 minutes before half-time.

David De Gea of ​​Manchester United acknowledges fans following the defeat in the Premier League.  Picture: Catherine Iville
David De Gea of ​​Manchester United acknowledges fans following the defeat in the Premier League. Picture: Catherine IvilleSource: Getty Images

De Gea took the extraordinary step of voluntarily fronting the media post-game to take responsibility for the loss, telling Sky Sports: “I think I cost three points to my team today to be honest. It was a poor performance from myself… It was a horrible day.”

But ten Hag said he was the “main responsibility” for a humiliating loss.

The jubilant home support taunted Ten Hag with chants of “you’re getting sacked in the morning”. But the Dutch coach has inherited a rabble rather than being the root cause as United lost a seventh consecutive away league match for the first time since 1936.

“We all have seen the game. I think Brentford were more hungry and we conceded goals to individual mistakes,” said Ten Hag.

“You can have a good plan but that puts the plan in the bin.”

Liverpool legend Jamie Redknapp pointed to stats from the game that showed Brentford covered 109.4km during the match compared to Manchester United’s 95.6km

“That for me is just not good enough by any stretch of the imagination,” Redknapp told Sky Sports.

Manchester United’s striker Cristiano Ronaldo reacts as Brentford players celebrate. Picture: Ian KingtonSource: AFP

“You’re not always good, you can’t always play great – but you can always run around. That is so damning for that Manchester United team – I don’t care who the manager is, I don’t care who the owners are, that has got nothing to do with it. That is running for the shirt.

“That is a disgrace from their point of view. If you’re the manager and you go into the dressing room and you show them that, I would be so embarrassed a footballer

“From the players that started and finished that game, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more abject performance from a club that I would regard as one of the biggest in the world to play like that.

“I just don’t think they showed they cared.”

Neville said Manchester United players had now come under three different managers “they don’t work as hard as the teams they’re playing against”.

“How long have we been saying in football ‘hard work will beat talent when talent doesn’t work hard’? That Manchester United team don’t run hard enough, they don’t run fast enough,” Neville told Sky Sports.

Manchester United’s manager Erik ten Hag. Picture: Ian KingtonSource: AFP

“They are absolutely drained of all confidence, they’re struggling badly – ​​and they have been now for 12 months.

“Today was a new low. It seems that continually Manchester United can surpass their previous lows – and when is the lowest low going to come? Because the reality of it is this is really, really bad.”

United were last crowned champions of England in the 2012/13 season in manager Alex Ferguson’s final campaign before retirement.

The arrival of £57 million ($69 million) centre-back Lisandro Martinez from Ajax has done little to shore up United’s leaky defense and questions will be asked of why Ten Hag has left Raphael Varane on the bench in favor of the Argentine and the out -of-sorts Harry Maguire.

While Ten Hag was keen to bolster his squad, he was adamant the team he sat out at Brentford was far better than this result indicated.

“It is clear we need players but I don’t want to think about that at this moment,” he said.

“The good players we had should have been better. I hoped for a better start, but still I have to believe because I have seen good things but the two games from now are disappointing.”

Former England full-back Neville – a longstanding critic of the Glazer family, the club’s US-based owners – slammed the hierarchy at Old Trafford for failing to give Ten Hag adequate support.

United fans are fuming. Picture: Catherine IvilleSource: Getty Images

“Manchester United have known for eight to 10 months they needed to rebuild the squad for the summer,” said Neville, now to Sky pundit.

“To not get the players in early, the quality of the players, the number of players that Erik ten Hag needed to be able to start the season, is baffling and difficult to forgive.”

Neville said the only money spent by Manchester United on players was from cash generated or borrowed “through its incredible fan base and a great commercial operation”.

“There’s a family over there in America who are just literally letting their employees take all the hits for them – and that is unforgivable,” Neville said.

“Joel Glazer has got to get on a plane… get over to Manchester and he’s got to start to divert the issues away from the club and tell everybody what the hell this plan is with the football club. What is he doing?

“You can look at the players all you like, but there are that many big things that need to be put right first, they’ve got to show up and basically face the music. Now’s the time. You can’t keep hanging over in Tampa and thinking that nothing’s going to come back to you.

Manchester United’s defender Harry Maguire. Picture: Ian KingtonSource: AFP

“These owners since Sir Alex Ferguson have proven in 10 years they cannot manage a forward-thinking football club. It’s been overtaken in every single department and it’s painful and it’s woeful.

“At this moment in time, there has been a toxic culture and atmosphere created at the club over a 10-year period without its leader, Sir Alex Ferguson and David Gill, who were propping the club up whilst the family sat there in America glorifying the fact that they were part of it. We’re now seeing what has happened without Sir Alex Ferguson, without David Gill, without leadership. We’re now seeing what’s happening and it’s a mess.

“It cannot continue to go on.”

United host Liverpool, who beat their historic rivals 5-0 and 4-0 last season, in their next game on August 22.

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Premier League results, scores, table, Manchester United loss to Brentford, Arsenal, Manchester City

Manchester United suffered an embarrassing 4-0 thrashing by Brentford to sink to the bottom of the Premier League.

As soaring temperatures across England meant water breaks were introduced at all this weekend’s Premier League games, United melted away in the first-half in West London to continue Erik ten Hag’s nightmare start as manager.

The Red Devils were 4-0 down after just 35 minutes as Josh Dasilva, Mathias Jensen, Ben Mee and Bryan Mbuemo put Ten Hag’s men to the sword.

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“I feel really sorry for the fans, we let them down,” said Ten Hag.

“I think Brentford were more hungry and we conceded goals to individual mistakes. You can have a plan but that puts the plan in the bin.”

Cristiano Ronaldo was selected in the Dutch coach’s starting line-up after starting last weekend’s 2-1 defeat to Brighton on the bench, but rather than riding to the rescue, his presence only compounded United’s problems.

Manchester United's manager Erik ten Hag.  Picture: Ian Kington
Manchester United’s manager Erik ten Hag. Picture: Ian KingtonSource: AFP

United have now lost seven consecutive league games away from home for the first time since 1936. They finished the day on the bottom of the Premier League table for the first time since August 1992.

CITY ‘CAN GO UP A LEVEL’

Manchester City went top as the champions rolled over Bournemouth 4-0, while Arsenal also have a maximum six points from two games after Gabriel Jesus starred in their 4-2 win over Leicester.

Erling Haaland failed to score on his home debut for City but the Norwegian showed there is more to his game than goals as he used his strength before sliding in Ilkay Gundogan to open the scoring at the Etihad.

Kevin De Bruyne then took center stage with a scintillating finish with the outside of his right foot to find the far corner before the Belgian turned provider for Phil Foden to make it 3-0 before half-time.

“I think we can go up a level,” warned De Bruyne. “Leading 3-0 fairly quickly makes it easy.”

City eased off after the break but added to their lead 11 minutes from time when Jefferson Lerma turned Joao Cancelo’s cross into his own net.

Haaland’s arrival at City was one of the factors behind Jesus’ departure and the Brazilian is already looking like a bargain for the Gunners as he marked his home debut with two goals and two assists to maintain Arsenal’s perfect start. Jesus’ became the first Arsenal player to score two goals on home Premier League debut.

Gabriel Jesus of Arsenal. Picture: Julian FinneySource: Getty Images

Jesus was often deployed in wider areas by City boss Pep Guardiola, but was brought to Arsenal to be a number nine as he aims to secure a place at the World Cup later this year with regular games as a centre-forward.

“I’m really enjoying playing number nine for Arsenal,” said Jesus. “I wasn’t not happy at City, but I just wanted to play.”

The 25-year-old showed his eye for goal with a sumptuous chip over Danny Ward to break Leicester’s resistance and doubled his tally by heading home a corner at the back post.

Twice Leicester were given a lifeline by Arsenal mistakes through William Saliba’s own goal and James Maddison’s strike that squirmed under Aaron Ramsdale.

However, on both occasions, Mikel Arteta’s men hit back quickly to restore a two-goal lead through Granit Xhaka and Gabriel Martinelli.

GERRARD BEATS LAMPARD

Steven Gerrard won his first managerial clash with former England teammate Frank Lampard as Aston Villa beat Everton 2-1.

Goals from Danny Ings and Emi Buendia eased the pressure on the former Liverpool captain after a run of two wins in their previous 12 games dating back to last season.

However, Villa had to survive a nervy finish as Lucas Digne’s own goal gave Everton hope before Emi Martinez twice denied Anthony Gordon.

Aston Villa Manager Steven Gerrard and Everton Manager Frank Lampard shake hands after full time. Picture: Marc AtkinsSource: Getty Images

Leeds missed the chance to join City and Arsenal on six points, blowing a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 at Southampton.

Brighton and Newcastle failed to build on their impressive starts last weekend as both missed chances aplenty in a 0-0 draw at the Amex.

It was also scoreless between Wolves and Fulham at Molineux after Aleksandar Mitrovic saw a late penalty saved by Jose Sa in the home team’s goal.

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Manchester United thrashed by Brentford, bottom of the ladder for first time in 30 years, crisis

Erik ten Hag’s bad start as Manchester United manager descended into an embarrassment as a 4-0 thrashing by Brentford on Saturday left the Red Devils bottom of the Premier League.

The former Ajax boss’ reign began with Brighton’s first ever win at Old Trafford last weekend, but much worse was to come as the Bees punished a series of errors to score four times in the first 35 minutes.

Josh Dasilva’s strike slipped through David de Gea’s grasp to open the floodgates before Mathias Jensen pounced on United’s attempt to play out from the back to make it 2-0 inside 18 minutes.

Ben Mee then exposed the visitors’ frailty from set-pieces for his first Brentford goal and Bryan Mbuemo rounded off a stunning counter-attack 10 minutes before halftime to sink United to the bottom of the table for the first time in 30 years.

The jubilant home support taunted Ten Hag with chants of “you’re getting sacked in the morning.”

But the Dutch coach has inherited a rabble rather than being the root cause as United lost a seventh consecutive away league match for the first time since 1936.

“We all have seen the game. I think Brentford were more hungry and we conceded goals to individual mistakes,” Ten Hag said.

“You can have a good plan but that puts the plan in the bin.”

United have now conceded four goals or more seven times in the Premier League since the start of last season.

The arrival of £57 million ($A97 million) centre-back Lisandro Martinez from Ajax has done little to shore up United’s leaky defense and questions will be asked of why Ten Hag has left Raphael Varane on the bench in favor of the Argentine and the out-of-sorts Harry Maguire.

Ten Hag did recall Cristiano Ronaldo to the starting line-up, but the wantaway five-time Ballon d’Or winner played a part in the opening goal.

Ronaldo went to ground too easily seeking a foul as he was surrounded by Brentford bodies. Dasilva’s shot should still have been a comfortable save for De Gea, but the ball squirmed underneath the Spaniard.

“It was a horrible day,” De Gea said. “I feel like I cost the team.”

De Gea compounded that mistake eight minutes later with an attempted pass to Christian Eriksen, who was outmuscled by his former teammate Jensen, and the Dane coolly slotted home to double Brentford’s lead.

Martinez’s 1.8m frame was raised as a red flag for his ability to adapt to the physicality of the Premier League.

And the Argentine was beaten at the back post by Mee for the third goal after Ivan Toney headed a corner across goal.

Credit to Brentford in just their second season in the English top-flight for 75 years may get swept away in the waves of criticism coming United’s way.

But Thomas Frank’s men produced a stunning move to tear United open again for their fourth goal.

Toney was released down the left wing and picked out Mbuemo with a precise first-time pass for the Frenchman to race in behind Luke Shaw and finish low past De Gea.

“These players keep giving me and the fans memories for life,” Frank said. Ten Hag made his feelings clear at the break with a triple substitution with Shaw, Martinez and Fred the scapegoats.

United did at least stop the bleeding after the break and should have had at least one consolation as Ronaldo looped a header over before Eriksen’s effort lacked the power to beat David Raya.

The damage, though, was long since done for Ten Hag and worse could still be to come.

United host Liverpool, who beat their historic rivals 5-0 and 4-0 last season, in their next game on August 22.

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Pre-season games, Manchester United, Cristiano Ronaldo, contract, transfer, rumours, updates

Cristiano Ronaldo played 45 minutes as he made his first Manchester United appearance in 12 weeks during a 1-1 pre-season draw with Rayo Vallecano at Old Trafford and later proclaimed: “Happy to be back”.

The 37-year-old Portugal forward, who missed the club’s pre-season tour to Thailand and Australia for personal reasons, reportedly wants to leave the club he rejoined last year.

Former Real Madrid and Juventus star Ronaldo finished as United’s top scorer last season with 24 goals.

Ronaldo returns to Manchester at last | 00:36

But the campaign as a whole was a huge disappointment for the club, with a sixth-place finish in the Premier League meaning they missed out on qualification for the Champions League.

Ronaldo was left out of United’s squad for Saturday’s friendly with Atletico Madrid in Oslo.

But, commenting on a post on a fan page about him missing the game in Norway, Ronaldo wrote Friday: “Domingo o rei joga” which translates as “Sunday the king plays”.

Ronaldo applauded fans on both sides of the ground as he led the team out for their pre-match warm-up on Sunday.

The veteran forward had one clear chance during his 45-minute appearance but drove over the bar after running on to Donny van de Beek’s lay-off.

LATEST ON RONALDO: Man Utd star chases stunning reunion with Sporting Lisbon

Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United during the Pre-Season Friendly match.  (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)
Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United during the Pre-Season Friendly match. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

After the match, Ronaldo posted a photograph of himself playing in the game on his Twitter feed beneath a caption of “Happy to be back”.

“I cannot tell at this moment [how fit Ronaldo is],” Manchester United coach Erik ten Hag said pre-game.

“He is not on the level of the rest of the squad because he has missed a lot of weeks.

“But he needs games and he needs training, a lot.”

New signings Christian Eriksen and Lisandro Martinez both featured for an hour in a game set up by Ten Hag for the players who did not have major roles in Saturday’s 1-0 defeat by Atletico.

Amad Diallo, who was on loan at Rangers last season, gave United the lead early in the second half when the 20-year-old Ivory Coast winger fired in the rebound after a shot from Alex Telles had been saved.

United’s lead, however, lasted just nine minutes before Alvaro Garcia equalized in similar fashion after Tom Heaton had saved Isaac Palazon Camacho’s initial effort.

United start their Premier League campaign at home to Brighton on August 7.

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