Manchester United 3-2 Real Betis: Five things noticed, two BIG Manchester City XI hints

Five things noticed as Manchester United recorded a brilliant 3-2 victory over Real Betis in Erik ten Hag’s fourth pre-season tie of the summer.

Erik ten Hag chose to start Jadon Sancho as a striker replacement for Rasmus Højlund as Manchester United lined up for their fourth pre-season fixtures of the summer, facing Real Betis at the Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego.

The tie started fast, with United immediately pressing Betis’ goal. Sancho combined with Amad Diallo to score early on but was ruled out for offside. However, it was Betis who struck first in the 15th minute, scoring after scrappy defending from Harry Amass and Tom Heaton.

Read More: Player Ratings – Manchester United vs Real Betis (pre-season)

However, mere moments later, Amad Diallo won a penalty almost immediately from kick-off, which Marcus Rashford then converted to level the score with just under 20 minutes played. Amad was then involved again as he finished a brilliant cross from Amass to give United the lead.

five minutes after this, Casemiro then added United’s third of the night after 30 minutes. Amad’s corner found Harry Maguire, who flicked the ball onto Rashford at the back post, who pulled the ball back into the middle for the Brazilian to smash home from three yards.

The second half saw Maguire and Victor Lindelöf replaced by Jonny Evans and Will Fish, with the other nine players continuing for the second half. Real Betis were able to grab one back at the hour mark with a good header from centre-back Diego Llorente.

Rashford, along with the remaining eight outfield players, came off just after 60 minutes and was limping. His injury was from a stamp, meaning it is hopefully not serious, although he did head straight down the tunnel.

🚨 The current #mufc XI: Heaton; Scanlon, Fish, Evans, Murray; Oyedele, Collyer; Antony, Mount, Hannibal; Wheatley.

— UtdDistrict (@UtdDistrict) August 1, 2024

Following the substitutions, both teams had chances, but Antony had to leave the field in the 85th minute with what seemed to be an injury. The tie ultimately ended 3-2.

#1 – More injury horrors

The worst news for the club came around an hour before kick-off. Against Arsenal, Højlund and Leny Yoro both suffered injuries, with the former feeling a hamstring problem and the latter a foot problem.

The club confirmed ahead of the Betis tie that Yoro would miss three months after fracturing his metatarsal and that Højlund would be out for three months with a hamstring problem.

This spelt horrible news for both United fans and the club, as both players were originally set to play against Manchester City in the Community Shield on Saturday, 10 August. Now, with under two weeks to go, Ten Hag will have to rethink his best XI to start the season.

#2 – Sancho as a striker

With Højlund injured and new signing Joshua Zirkzee not on tour, many thought that Marcus Rashford would be the natural successor as the striker, but Ten Hag decided to start Sancho through the middle.

Immediately, Sancho looked to connect with Amad and scored just five minutes into the tie, but he was rightly ruled offside. However, it showed early signs of promise.

Sancho was keen to press, run, and exchange with both Amad and Rashford, clearly growing in confidence throughout the summer as the start of the season looms.

This could be a big hint as to who could start up front instead of Højlund against Manchester City in just over a week’s time, with Joshua Zirkzee having yet to accumulate any minutes with his new teammates.

#3 – Amad’s influence is nailed down

Starting on the right wing for the third game in a row, Amad has pretty much nailed down his starting spot heading into the 2024/25 season, particularly against Man City. He has been United’s brightest forward during pre-season and has shown both scoring prowess and creative ability so far.

In the opening 25 minutes, he created the penalty for Rashford’s goal and scored a rocket finish to hand United the lead. This is HIS season.

“My first position was number 10,” he explained ahead of the Wednesday afternoon tie. “When I was in Atalanta, I was number 10, and after that, they put me on right winger. But yeah I can play number 10, I can play right winger. I can play left winger.

“So I can play everywhere in the forward [line]. And yeah, I’m ready to play every single position in the forward [line].”

#4 – Ten Hag’s plan taking shape

In the 40th minute of the first half, Casemiro, Scott McTominay, and Christian Eriksen combined to pass around the Betis midfield, allowing the Scottish international to have a shot that was then blocked.

Although no goal came of the move, it had Ruud van Nistelrooy off his feet and clapping alongside Ten Hag – proof that this type of play was something they had been working on in training.

Beyond this, the side’s press was relentless and organised, with most of the ball played along the ground with brilliant confidence and assurance from pretty much the entire XI. It is clear that the style that Ten Hag and his staff want their squad to play is starting to take shape.

#5 – One step closer

The Betis game also marked the first time that any outfield player played more than 45 minutes this summer. Rashford, Amad, Sancho, and Casemiro all played around 60 minutes, signifying that the established first-team stars are a step closer to regaining full match fitness.

Despite United’s few injury concerns, once these players are rejoined with those such as Kobbie Mainoo, Luke Shaw, Bruno Fernandes, and Diogo Dalot, Ten Hag will have an almost full squad to choose from as he heads into his third season as Old Trafford boss.

While those mentioned above’s fitness will not quite be as sharp, all of them have been training individually during their breaks, with Fernandes and Dalot particularly showing this across their social media.

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