Manchester United’s first pre-season friendly of the summer ended in a goalless draw against fierce rivals Leeds United at Stockholm, Sweden on Saturday.
United fans caught their first glimpse of new signings Matheus Cunha and Diego Leon, and both looked sharp, especially the Brazilian.
But there were the same issues as last term, notably up top, where Rasmus Hojlund struggled yet again. INEOS are looking to fix that.
But the biggest issue was the lack of control in midfield, especially when Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes were on the pitch.
Both tried to play first-time lofted balls, or through passes, which often resulted in Leeds winning back possession. The Brazilian is not getting any younger, and it showed as he struggled to track back at times.
Lack of balance in midfield In Europe, where the pace of the game is slower, he was an asset, but with no European games this term, the ex-Real Madrid superstar needs help.
The club captain is one of the most creative players in the English top-flight and with Bryan Mbeumo yet to link up with the rest of the team, Ruben Amorim should have ideally played Toby Collyer alongside the Brazil international and the Portuguese as one of the No.10s.
Strangely, Fernandes started alongside Casemiro, and his lack of positional discipline meant Leeds always had a spare man in the middle of the park.
And playing Collyer as the right-sided attacking midfielder meant the play was largely restricted to the left flank with the academy graduate almost invisible for the opening 45 minutes.
Invisible Collyer In fact, he had fewer touches of the ball than goalkeeper Altay Bayindir, touching the ball a meagre 17 times, and completing only 81 per cent of his passes.
Creativity is not his strongest suit, while his freakish running stats make him the perfect foil for Casemiro as his energy can be used to disrupt the opposition’s tempo effectively.
But Amorim’s strange tactical call meant Toby Collyer had to play much higher up, and he won 0 ground duels, attempted 0 crosses, and 0 long balls, took 0 shots and completed 0 dribbles (all stats via sofascore).
The team had much better balance with Kobbie Mainoo and Manuel Ugarte in midfield in the second half, but it is clear INEOS need a new deep-lying playmaker.
Which is exactly why there are chances of the 21-year-old being loaned out or even sold. While he can be a decent option from the bench, his homegrown status means pure profit, something the co-owners are in desperate need of currently.
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Ayantan Chowdhury Ayantan has worked for 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites but his heart was always set on writing about his favourite club. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25
