Player ratings: Manchester United 2-3 Borussia Dortmund (pre-season)

Manchester United are signing off their 2023 pre-season tour of the USA with a 3-2 loss against Borussia Dortmund in Las Vegas.

Erik ten Hag started a surprising XI against Borussia Dortmund, with almost his entire first-choice Manchester United squad starting on the bench.

The likes of Lisandro Martinez, Bruno Fernandes, and André Onana started as substitutes, with Harry Maguire, Scott McTominay, and Tom Heaton among others starting in Las Vegas.

Read More: Antony told to “step up” with Manchester United position under threat after pre-season

The first half saw United on top for the most part, with Diogo Dalot scoring a beautiful opening goal to give his team the lead. The final moments of the first half saw United concede two goals rather inexplicably in under a minute to go 2-1 behind as the first half came to a close.

Order was somewhat restored in the second half, with Antony levelling the score once again just seven minutes in with a good low finish to capitalise on a Dortmund error.

Jadon Sancho played the most minutes with 77 to his name on the night – André Onana replaced Tom Heaton at half-time, with eight other players coming on after 60 minutes. Antony had been substituted on towards the end of the first half for Omari Forson, who had a yellow card.

Making life hard for themselves, United conceded a third with 20 minutes to play, going 3-2 down after giving the ball away once again – United shortly after replaced Sancho with academy striker Joe Hugill, but ultimately lost their third fixture in a row.

Here are the player ratings from the encounter:

Starting XI

Tom Heaton – 7/10

Starting head of Onana in goal, Heaton once again looked comfortable on the ball and made multiple good saves. Continues to make his case to be the backup to Onana for next season.

Was unlucky to concede both goals at the end of the first half – was substituted for Onana at half-time.

Diogo Dalot – 9/10

Getting back to full fitness, Dalot was aggressive and forward with his play, but was hampered by Forson on a few occasions by not being fed the ball in attacking positions often enough. That was, however, until the 25th minute, when Dalot opened the scoring with a fantastic curling finish from the edge of the area.

Dalot continued to impress in the second half, with his attacking output a clear positive throughout his 60 minutes on the field.

Harry Maguire – 4/10

Looked a little uncomfortable on the ball and gave away a few fouls, with Dortmund’s goal coming from his area of defence – was given a talking-to by Onana at one point after a risky pass left him to deny Haller from close range.

Victor Lindelöf – 4/10

Not overly involved in the first half and did not put much of a foot wrong right up until the final moments, where it was his pass that set up Dortmund’s second in a key turning point of the game.

Brandon Williams – 5/10

Made a good interception early on, but Dortmund did find some joy down his side on more than one occasion, including their first goal. He also played Malen onside for this second goal.

Overall good on the ball, but made costly mistakes off it.

Scott McTominay – 6/10

Starting as tonight’s captain, the Scotsman sat at the base of United’s midfield three, allowing Eriksen and Van de Beek to be creative further forward.

Donny van de Beek – 7/10

Playing for his United future, Van de Beek played a major part in Dalot’s goal. His hold-up play and assist gave Dalot the time to pick his spot from the edge of the area. He was also the one to win the ball back for Antony’s goal, assisting the Brazilian.

Christian Eriksen – 6.5/10

With Eriksen set to compete with Mason Mount for a place this season, the Dane played a deep, progressive role, completing the task of getting the ball to either wing well.

Facundo Pellistri – 8/10

Looking to establish his name in Ten Hag’s squad for the coming campaign, Pellistri looked to drive at Dortmund’s right-hand side, winning fouls and causing havoc among the Dortmund defence.

Jadon Sancho – 8/10

Playing down the middle once again, a lot of the attacking play flowed through Sancho, who looked sharp. He was quick, creative, and decisive in a positive performance. He was the only player to play a full 90 minutes.

Omari Forson – 5.5/10

Playing on the right wing, Forson looked bright and eager to impress – he was raw but with good intentions. Did get a needless yellow card during an argument and was likely substituted as a result.

Substitutes

Antony – 7/10

Coming in as a late substitute in the first half for Forson, Antony’s impact was better felt in the second, with the winger scoring United’s second of the night to get the side back into the fixture early in the half.

André Onana – 7/10

Onana was called into immediate action, denying Haller from close range. He gave Maguire a piece of his mind post-phase as it was his risky pass that lead to the chance.

Overall, he showed a commanding and proactive presence and was unlucky to concede, further warming up to the 2023/24 season.

All players below came on after 60 minutes.

Bruno Fernandes – 5.5/10

Fernandes took over the role of Van de Beek, playing as the furthest midfielder forward as usual. He worked well in conjunction with Mount in order to try and break through the Dortmund defence, but could not conjure enough to grab United a win.

Casemiro – 5/10

After some criticism for his performance against Real Madrid, Casemiro failed to get much of a hold on this fixture, but with another 30 minutes under his belt, he will no doubt get back to his best form in the coming weeks.

Jonny Evans – 5/10

With Raphael Varane unavailable, Evans stepped in alongside Martinez, however, did not do too much to positively impact the tie.

Mason Mount – 7/10

Showed his qualities once again in midfield, picking out some fantastic passes just behind Fernandes to keep play flowing and maintaining pressure where possible as he continues to settle into the club.

Lisandro Martinez – 6/10

Looked in sync with Onana on the ball, with both players making each other available for passes throughout the second half. This will no doubt be a significant partnership next season.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka – 4.5/10

In light of Dalot’s fantastic performance, Wan-Bissaka was not as satisfactory, with Dortmund’s third goal coming from his side after his pass was intercepted.

Marcus Rashford – 4.5/10

Looked fast and fresh on the left wing, always trying to find space behind the Dortmund back four, but to no avail. Missed multiple great chances in the final 10 minutes.

Luke Shaw – 5/10

Provided more defensive security in comparison to Williams in the final third, but overall had a minimal impact.

Joe Hugill – N/A

Did not make an impact in the final 10 minutes of the tie.