Manchester United 4-0 Leeds United: 5 Things We Learned

It was a proper goal-fest as Manchester United continued to be triumphant in their pre-season tour, this time through a brilliant 4-0 victory against Leeds United.

Mason Greenwood and Marcus Rashford opened the scoring in the first-half while a Phil Jones header and an Anthony Martial penalty in the second half fulfilled a perfect game for the Red Devils.

While their classic rivals Leeds certainly gave the Premier League giants more of a challenge than Perth Glory, the powerful performance emerged supreme.

1. Lukaku Replacement Already Found?

Much talk has been doing the rounds over the future of Romelu Lukaku. The allegedly exit-bound Belgian was absent from today’s squad as well and it seems increasingly likely that Inter Milan will emerge with his signature.

This would understandably leave Manchester United and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with the headache of signing his replacement, although that issue may have been solved.

Mason Greenwood was impeccable up-front in the first-half and was able to score a great goal. It seems inevitable that the 17-year-old will feature more often at Old Trafford.

WATCH: Solskjaer’s Potential Lineups And Tactics For 2019/20 Season

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2. New Signings Were Spot On

Many Manchester United supporters went into this game anxious about whether or not their new signings would be impressive for the second game in a row. In that regard, they were certainly treated to an electric spectacle.

Solskjaer elected to deploy both Daniel James and Aaron Wan-Bissaka in the first-half itself and the effect was there for all to see. The sheer pace that the duo brought to the lineup was immensely effective in both pursuing the high-press as well as sustaining quick counter-attacks, many of which punished Leeds.

It is evident that United need not worry about their right-wing for quite a few more years.

 

3. McTominay and Pereira

While much talk has been doing the rounds about the Red Devils’ inability to nail down their midfield signings, particularly those of Bruno Fernandes and Sean Longstaff, the game in Perth showcased two other midfield maestros.

Scott McTominay and Andreas Pereira were the midfield heroes of their respective halves. McTominay’s spirited run resulted in Rashford’s goal and Pereira was on multiple occasions close to scoring a goal on his own. In particular, the Brazilian youngster posed a threat from set-pieces.

Solskjaer certainly has able options in these two upcoming homegrown midfielders.

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4. Pogba Shows His Class Again

Paul Pogba remains the man in the midst of headlines as his apparent transfer to Real Madrid grows more and more uncertain over the past few days.

Despite that, the Frenchman was an all-round offensive presence in the first-half, posing constant threats and being quite deft with his ball-play. In fact, his pass to Aaron Wan-Bissaka was the precipitating factor to Mason Greenwood’s opener.

It is no secret that the World Cup winner is United’s best performer and it is clear why the higher-ups at Old Trafford are doing all they can to ensure that he remains a Red Devil come August.

 

5. Singapore Next

This game marks the end of the Australia leg of United’s tour. Their next stops take them to Asia with Singapore slated as the upcoming destination. It is an apt upgrade as the English club will next face Inter Milan in the International Champions Cup on Saturday.

That game will be a true test for Solskjaer’s new tactics as Perth and Leeds, while adept teams, weren’t a proper indication of the kind of clubs the Red Devils will be pinned against in the Premier League.

The Serie A side will be worthy opponents and it will be interesting to see which team Romelu Lukaku will represent on that day.