It might have caught some fans unaware after the recent Euro 2024 and Copa America finals, but Manchester United began their 2024/25 pre-season on Monday afternoon with a friendly against Rosenborg at Lerkendal Stadion in Norway.
The Red Devils were naturally without a number of their established international stars but a host of familiar names still faced the Eliteserien side in Erik ten Hag’s first match since being backed by new co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos.
After the drama of their FA Cup final triumph at the end of last season, United were involved in a more sedate affair for the majority of the contest before Rosenborg’s Noah Holm scored a 93rd-minute winner.
Here are some of the key takeaways from United’s opening defeat of pre-season.
- Plenty of familiar faces and a couple of Ethans
Marcus Rashford and Mason Mount would have hoped to be involved in the Euro 2024 final England contested on Sunday that ultimately ended in a 2-1 defeat for the Three Lions.
However, the pair started Monday’s game after difficult 2023/24 campaigns and weren’t the only regular first-teamers 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 number 10 position.
Young defenders William Fish and Sam Murray made the cut for the first half, while Ethan Williams and Ethan Wheatley – both 18 years of age – probed in attack.
Ten Hag changed every player bar goalkeeper Radek Vitek at half-time, with the likes of Harry Amass, Toby Collyer and Joe Hugill getting minutes.
- Casemiro takes a nasty blow
Pre-season is usually a time when players ease off the heavy challenges and instead try to feel their way back into playing.
However, Brazilian midfielder Casemiro found out the hard way that Rosenborg defender Tomas Nemcik wasn’t messing around. The former Real Madrid star was caught on the shin by a high challenge which saw Nemcik booked.
Casemiro was able to finish the first half before his withdrawal, though an ice pack might be required for the next couple of days.
- Clutching at straws for highlights
The first half wasn’t a total barnstormer and Man Utd picked out a peculiar highlight to show their progress in Trondheim.
Rashford brought the ball down on the wing and darted forward before being tackled. It was a sequence that wouldn’t have looked out of place on the ‘forgettable football moments’ Instagram account, but instead it was posted on United’s X account.
Nicely done, sure, but let’s hope for a bit more entertainment in the pre-season games to come.
- 20-year-old goalkeeper catches the eye
Vitek was the only United player to feature for the full 90 minutes and the Czechian shot-stopper gave a good account of himself.
He was forced into seven saves before Rosenborg’s Holm finally broke the deadlock in second-half stoppage time.
Vitek joined United’s youth setup in 2020 and spent time on loan with Accrington Stanley earlier this year.
He’ll likely be on the move again this summer to gain more experience, with his route to regular first-team minutes currently blocked by Andre Onana, Altay Bayindir and Tom Heaton.
- Plenty of stars absent after Euro 2024 and Copa America
There were, of course, a lot of notable players absent from United’s squad after their excursions at Euro 2024 and Copa America.
Lisandro Martinez and Alejandro Garnacho scooped the South American silverware with victory over Colombia in the final, while Luke Shaw and Kobbie were runners-up in Europe as England were beaten by Spain in Berlin.
Bruno Fernandes, Rasmus Hojlund, Diogo Dalot and Christian Eriksen are also likely to have a little more time off being getting pre-season minutes under their belts..
What we know
- Man Utd loss to Rosenborg in their first pre-season game of the summer
- Stars like Marcus Rashford, Casemiro and Mason Mount were all involved
- Red Devils suffered late defeat in Norway.
