5 things we learned from Man Utd’s first pre-season game of the summer

It may have caught some fans off guard after the Euro 2024 and Copa America finals, but Manchester United kicked off their 2024/25 pre-season on Monday afternoon with a friendly against Rosenborg at Lerkendal Stadion in Norway.

The Red Devils were naturally short of established international stars but a number of familiar names still faced the Eliteserien side in Erik ten Hag’s first game since being backed by new owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos.

After the drama of their FA Cup final victory at the end of last season, United had a sad story for most of the competition before Rosenborg’s Noah Holm scored the winner in the 93rd minute.

Here are some of the key takeaways from United’s first pre-season defeat.

Marcus Rashford and Mason Mount could have hoped to play a part in the Euro 2024 final that England competed in on Sunday, which ended in a 2-1 defeat to the Three Lions.

However, they started Monday’s game after difficult 2023/24 campaigns and they weren’t the only first-team players involved. There were starts for Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Jonny Evans, while Hannibal Mejbri – who spent the second half of last term on loan with Sevilla – played in the 10th spot.

Young full-backs William Fish and Sam Murray came on in the first half, while Ethan Williams and Ethan Wheatley – both 18 years old – looked on.

Ten Hag replaced all bar goalkeeper Radek Vitek at the break, with the likes of Harry Amass, Toby Collyer and Joe Hugill getting minutes.

Pre-season is usually a time when players relax from tough challenges and instead try to feel their way back into play.

However, Brazil midfielder Casemiro found out the hard way that Rosenborg defender Tomas Nemcik wasn’t interfering. The former Real Madrid star was caught in a major challenge that saw Nemcik booked.

Casemiro was able to finish the first half before his withdrawal, although he may need an ice pack for the next few days.

The first half was no barnstormer and Man Utd picked the highlights to show their progress in Trondheim.

Rashford brought the ball down the wing and raced forward before being tackled. It was a sequence that wouldn’t have looked out of place on the ‘forgotten football moments’ Instagram account, but was instead posted on United X’s account.

Well done, sure, but let’s hope for more fun in the upcoming preseason games.

Vitek was the only United player to play 90 minutes and the Czech stopper gave a good account of himself. He was forced to make seven saves before Rosenborg’s Holm finally broke the deadlock in the second half.

Vitek joined United’s youth set-up in 2020 and spent time on loan with Accrington Stanley earlier this year. He is likely to leave again this summer to gain more experience, with his path to first-team minutes blocked by Andre Onana, Altay Bayindir and Tom Heaton.

There were, however, a number of notable players who were absent from United’s squad after their trip to Euro 2024 and the Copa America.

Lisandro Martinez and Alejandro Garnacho won South American silverware by beating Colombia in the final, while Luke Shaw and Kobbie finished second in Europe as England were beaten by Spain in Berlin.

Bruno Fernandes, Rasmus Hojlund, Diogo Dalot and Christian Eriksen are also likely to have more time off to get pre-season minutes under their belts.

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