After the Saturday win against Lens at Old Trafford, Manchester United flew to Dublin to play their final pre-season match at the Aviva Park against Athletic Bilbao just 24 hours later. This time around, Erik Ten Hag gave the chance to some other players that did not feature as much against Lens, in what was more of a match in which he wanted to see his best starting 11.
Here, United barely managed to snatch a draw against the Spanish side. Nico Willimas scored the opener after 29 minutes, putting Bilbao ahead, but Facundo Pellistri made it 1-1 in the stoppage time. Here is what we learned from this match.
Will Sancho Get The False Nine Role?
Rasmus Hojlund did sign for Manchester United in a move worth 72 million pounds and now the expectations on the 20-year-old striker will be huge. But people keep forgetting that just two years ago, Jadon Sancho was in his shoes, arriving from Borussia Dortmund in a much awaited blockbuster move. Since then, the Englishman did not show much on the pitch the way he did at the Signal Iduna Park and in the BUndesliga in general.
This time, Sancho started in attack, as the false nine, in a new role Ten Hag has been trying out for him throughout the summer. The day before, it was Marcus Rashford who was put in the role of the sole striker, but we all know Rashford prefers playing on the left wing. So it remains to be seen if this was a sign that Ten Hag might put Sancho in the false nine role while we wait for Rasmus Hojlund to get rid of his back problems that will see him miss the start of the campaign.
Pellistri Has Things To Offer
Man United fans finally got a new chance to see Facundo Pellistri in action. The Uruguayan attacker was in the previous seasons mostly on loans at Alaves, but his performance against Athletic showed he possesses the qualities that might be of use to the team. His performance throughout the match was deserving of a goal which eventually happened. In the first half, he was the best attacking player United had on the pitch and his pace was a threat for the opposition. It is clear Pellistri is still some way off a potential place in the team, but he might be a good impact sub on the right wing when things are not working out for Antony or someone else.
Maguire And Donny May Have Played Their Last Game
Donny van de Beek started the match in central midfield, but did not show much before he was substituted at half-time. Harry Maguire played full 90 minutes, but his involvement in yet another silly mistake that led to an opposition goal really stood out. With swirling media reports, it could be that this was the final match at Manchester United for both the Duthman and the Englishman. Van de Beek was linked with a potential move to La Liga, while Maguire is getting closer to a move to West Ham United. We may never see them in the iconic red shirt again.
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