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Manchester United's pre-season seems to be going to plan or better for now. They broke down a resolute Melbourne Victory and beat them 4-1 after going a goal down as early as the fifth minute of the game.
Erik ten Hag's men unleashed wave after wave of attack on the Australian outfit after conceding the early goal. Scott McTominay eventually found an opening for them via a deflected goal.
Shortly after, Anthony Martial gave his side the lead with a neat finish from close range after some great bit of work to create the chance by Anthony Elanga. Ten Hag reshuffled his pack massively in the second half as he had done in the friendly against Liverpool.
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The youngsters gave a good account of themselves in the second half and Marcus Rashford added cushion to United's lead by tucking a chance away in the 78th minute. Edmond Lupancu then deflected the ball into his own net off a Tahith Chong cross in the 90th minute to make it 4-1 in favor of the Red Devils.
Without further ado, let's take a look at the five talking points from Manchester United's second pre-season friendly.
#1 The Manchester United defence needs work
Melbourne Victory put together a swift and excellent team move to open the scoring in the fifth minute of the game. They started from the back and it was a goal that would have made coach Tony Popovic very proud. But it also exposed just how ordinary the Manchester United defence could be at times.
Both Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof looked off pace and the duo's error-proneness will be one of the problems Ten Hag will need to find a solution for. But then again, they've signed the technically gifted Lisandro Martinez as confirmed by Fabrizio Romano earlier today.
It's time for Lindelof and Maguire to step up or one of them is very likely to get iced out of this squad pretty soon. Also, Eric Bailly did create Rashford's goal, but was awful at the back otherwise.
He committed far too many errors and over the course of the two friendlies, Ten Hag would have got an idea of just what to expect from the Ivory Coast international.
#2 Zidane Iqbal and Charlie Savage really good once again
Yes, we're talking about Zidane Iqbal and Charlie Savage in particular here. Iqbal was once again a calm and collected presence at the heart of midfield. He showed a fair amount of strength to hold opponents off while also showcasing his nimblefooted skills and agility to brush past them.
Savage has a nonchalance about him and his decision-making was once again on point. In a strictly technical sense, they have a lot to offer and Manchester United will do well to find good clubs to send both of these youngsters on loan to.
They need the minutes because there is definitely something special there. After holding their own against Liverpool in the first friendly, they orchestrated play to great effect against Melbourne Victory today.
#3 Patience was the name of the game for Manchester United today
Against Liverpool, there were more open spaces on offer for the Red Devils and they took advantage of that and did so quite well. Today, they were up against a team that was set up to defend deep. They were ready to absorb the pressure and hit back only if a counter-attacking opportunity presented itself to them.
But Manchester United kept persevering. Fred was at the center of it in the first half. He was involved in almost every move, interchanging positions with Bruno Fernandes and popping up in tiny pockets of space.
United slowly started getting their wingers Jadon Sancho and Anthony Elanga involved as well. As they started shifting the ball from side to side with more ease, cracks began to appear. Scott McTominay came close with two strikes before United eventually found the breakthrough.
They kept knocking and finally Melbourne Victory caved in and conceded two late first-half goals that really tilted the game in United's favour.
#4 Anthony Martial is looking good
Anthony Martial seems to be a man on a mission. He has now bagged two goals in two pre-season friendlies. Yes, it's advisable not to get carried away right now, but Martial is lending a lot of fluidity to United's attack and he appears to be the right fit for the side.
Martial's movement confused the Melbourne Victory defenders and his close control and ability to weave his way past opponents caused a lot of problems for them. His goal was well taken and an in-form Martial makes Manchester United's attacking department even more potent.
He has also looked hungry, sharp and eager to get involved. That's when Martial has always been at his best.
#5 Where does Cristiano Ronaldo fit in?
That brings us to the question: what about Cristiano Ronaldo? Ten Hag doesn't seem to be the kind of coach who would pander to the egos of players. So Ronaldo, who has been looking for a move away from the club but is very likely to stay, might just have to fight and earn his place in the starting XI.
There is consensus among fans and pundits alike that Ronaldo's arrival did take away United's fluidity in attack under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. His positional rigidity and underwhelming workrate is unlikely to be tolerated under Ten Hag, especially since the 37-year-old has been unavailable for pre-season.
With Martial performing well and Sancho and Rashford looking in great shape, will Ten Hag just roll out the red carpet for the legendary Portuguese striker? It will be very interesting to see how this one plays out.
