Manchester United continued their pre-season campaign with a 1-0 win over Lyon in Edinburgh on Wednesday afternoon.
Similarly to last week against Leeds, the first half was defined by missed chances, with Antony missing the biggest of the lot.
In the second half Donny van de Beek opened the scoring with a perfectly caught volley which found the top corner.
Here are five things we learned…
Matej Kovar might be better than De Gea
Matej Kovar will have given Erik ten Hag something to think about in his search for a new number two this summer. The Czech keeper looked comfortable playing out from the back and was a huge benefit to his defence.
His performances have raised questions as to how David De Gea remained in the United goal for so long. Kovar has much better distribution and inspired confidence as he claimed high balls and played out from the back calmly.
This performance will have left fans eagerly anticipating the arrival of Andre Onana.
Manchester United need to sign a striker
An issue we flagged also following last weeks 2-0 win over Leeds, but the problem persists. Too many chances went amiss and realistically United should have been 2 or 3 goals ahead by half-time.
Having Jadon Sancho as the ‘number 9’ left United toothless up front, often having no options and a severe lack of presence.
This display just signified the need for a forward, possibly Rasmus Hojlund who appears to be the favourite currently.
Kobbie Mainoo is ready for the first-team
The most evident thing from the opening two games of this pre-season tour is that Kobbie Mainoo is absolutely ready to be a regular feature in the first-team.
Mainoo was practically a one-man-midfield at times, beating the press and demonstrating his complete range of qualities. A top class performance which stands him in good stead for the rest of pre-season.
Mainoo arguably would be the inevitable first choice if Casemiro weren’t at the club, he is that good.
Donny van de Beek shows signs
It would have been a safe bet just a day ago to assume van de Beek’s United career would be over. However he has responded to those possibilities with a beautiful volleyed finish which put the Reds up 1-0 early in the second half.
Besides that he played a solid game and completed the basics really well. Evidently his goal however will be what lives long in the mind of fans and even put a smile of Ten Hag’s face.
The youngsters impress once again
Besides from the already mentioned group, Ten Hag will be delighted with how his youngsters have performed.
Everyone looked comfortable to be playing for United and did the badge proud which is a massive compliment to Ten Hag.
Every single player shows hunger and desire with multiple being very impressive. Hopefully a couple can play their way into Ten Hag’s plans for next season.