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Manchester United travelled to Cardiff to face AC Milan in the final pre-season game, with the mood at the club particularly buoyant. After weeks of relentless pursuit, Harry Maguire is all set to join United, while there was also the possibility of the Lukaku-Dybala swap taking place. United had the chance to end the transfer window with a bang, and the club was looking to end their summer preparations on a high as well.
The Red Devils had won all of their pre-season games so far and apart from the Kristiansund game, had looked impressive on the field. Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Daniel James had seamlessly slotted into the team and were already looking at home. They were up against a Milan side who had lost both games in pre-season but still had quite a fight in them. Solskjaer, as such, named a strong team to face the Serie A giants.
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The Norwegian started with David de Gea in goal, with Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Victor Lindelof, Marcos Rojo and Luke Shaw in defence. With Pogba sidelined with injury, Solskjaer opted for Scott McTominay alongside Nemanja Matic in midfield, while Mata was selected for the No. 10 role. The front three in attack consisted of Andreas Pereira, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford.
United started the game very well and went ahead when Marcus Rashford scored the opening goal in the 14th minute. However, AC Milan equalized through Suso in the 26th minute. In the second half, the Italian giants took the lead in the 60th minute, courtesy of a Victor Lindelof own goal. However, United rallied for the equalizer and finally drew level through Jesse Lingard. The game then went to penalties, which United won 5-4.
United ended their pre-season with a win, maintaining their victorious streak in the summer. It is a fact that will please Solskjaer, who will also be impressed by the performance of these 5 men against AC Milan.
#5 Axel Tuanzebe
Composed, strong and cool as a cucumber, Axel Tuanzebe already looks like a fantastic central defender right now. The Englishman started the game on the bench but was introduced in the 65th minute with United still chasing the game.
AC Milan was on the rise then, but Tuanzebe handled the pressure with absolute authority. He teamed up with Lindelof and shut the door at the back. He also made a fantastic tackle in the dying minutes to ensure that United stayed in the game. The 21-year old was tested on quite a few occasions on the night but came up on top every time.
#4 Daniel James
United’s new signing started from the bench and was called into action in the 60th minute, when Solskjaer decided to send him out for a run on the right-wing The Welshman had an instant impact, finding pockets of spaces in the wide areas and causing the Milan defence a lot of problems with his pace.
With Ashley Young for company, James was tireless on the right-wing and while he did not get a chance to display his blistering pace on the pitch, the youngster still had a good outing on the night.
James combined well with Martial and Rashford in the final third, showing signs of a budding partnership upfront. The Welshman also tracked back to help out Young and even won the ball back a couple of times in the midfield.
James showed great composure in counter-attacks and his quick feet and skills won United quite a few free kicks, including at least a couple in great areas. He also had a good chance to score but fluffed his shot wide. However, he did redeem himself by scoring the winning penalty kick.
The Welshman is not the finished material yet but he is already showing signs of improvement with every game.
#3 Luke Shaw
Luke Shaw is looking like a permanent feature in this United team and he gave another good account of himself against AC Milan. The Englishman was solid at the back and adventurous in attack as usual, regularly bombing up the left-hand side to join the attack.
The Englishman stayed close to the touchline throughout the game and stretched the opposition defence. United’s front three kept interchanging, with both Martial and Rashford popping up in the left, however, it did not impact Shaw, who combined well with both players. The Englishman was decisive with his passing in the final third and even hit a thunderous volley that rocketed just wide of Reina’s goal.
If Shaw was impressive in attack, he was rock solid at the back as well. The Englishman religiously tracked back and carried out his responsibilities at the back. He brilliantly denied Krzysztof Piatek in the box, with a pitch-perfect tackle that showed his quality.
#2 Jesse Lingard
The Englishman started the game on the bench and was brought on to replace Mata in the 65th minute. Lingard was slotted into the No.10 role and continued the high press that has now become a characteristic of this new look United team.
The Englishman was busy as a bee on the field, hounding the opposition when the Red Devils lost possession while combining well with Rashford and Martial in the final third in attack.
Lingard regularly dropped down, trying to initiate attacks from the deep and also helping out his midfielders to regain control of the game. And he made quite a few good runs from the deep that opened up the defence. From one such move, United got back into the game.
Anthony Martial received the ball from Luke Shaw outside the box and then set up Lingard with a perfectly weighted pass. The Englishman took a couple of touches inside the box and then slotted the ball into the far corner. It was a goal that took the game to tiebreakers. Lingard also scored from his penalty kick.
#1 Marcus Rashford
The Englishman started the game as the central striker but drifted across the front three. The youngster had a very lively start to the game, implementing Solskjaer's high press in the final third and driving at the opposition back four with intent.
While it is still preseason and he is not up to his full fitness levels yet, Rashford still displayed frightening speed on the field. His movement and positioning was also impressive on the night.
Early in the first half, as United pressed AC Milan back, Rashford was among United’s most dangerous player on the pitch. And in the 14th minute, he stamped his authority in the game. Matic found the Englishman on the left wing with acres of space and unleashed a perfect ball for him. Rashford cut inside and ran at the defence again. He went past two men and sent in a low curling drive that took a slight deflection and ended into the far corner.
Rashford's hunger gave United the edge in the game and helped United win the game.
