Man United 1-0 Lyon: The 3 players who caught eyes during Lyon friendly

Manchester United’s second game of pre-season culminated in a slim 1-0 victory as Lyon were unable to break the defense against a largely disciplined side across both halves.

Donny van de Beek’s goal at the start of the second-half made all the difference in the club friendly, but it was certainly a mixed bag rustling with positives for many players. Here are three who took the crowds by delight during the game:

1. Donny van de Beek

Brought on in the second-half, supporters got a rare sight of the once all too promising Ajax starlet. As such, the decisive goal was a much-needed respite for the form-shy midfielder.

The importance of this performance was most evident in the manner in which he celebrated his goal and his comments after the game which have made it plenty clear that this means a lot for the Dutchman. His future at Old Trafford is still uncertain but this goal certainly spells positivity.

2. Matej Kovar

Even though the previous friendly was Mason Mount’s unofficial debut, it was Kovar who stole the headlines with his arrogantly confident showing as the goalkeeper. Thus, he was given the nod as the starting player against Lyon and his brilliance continued.

https://twitter.com/StatmanDave/status/1681681653607854080

His future too is a little uncertain but with Onana’s arrival confirmed, it will be interesting to see if Erik ten Hag looks to him for backup hope.

3. Kobbie Mainoo

Even though Amad Diallo showed sparks of brilliance which he excelled at when on loan last campaign, it was Mainoo who managed to grab positive attention. The starlet was decisive in his passing and proved to be quite an effective distributor of the ball.

While these are friendly games, new faces like the likes of Mainoo and Dan Gore and old faces like that of Jonny Evans all point to a positive sign in the weeks ahead.

Next Step: The US of A!