Manchester United's pre-season came to an end in disappointing fashion on Saturday as Manchester City beat them 7-6 on penalties to win the Community Shield. While the defeat is unlikely to haunt the United fans nor Erik ten Hag for too long, there were still things the Reds' backroom staff will have learned from the narrow defeat. The most poignant being how valuable Lisandro Martinez is to the team's defence.
With defenders dropping like flies in the build-up to the clash at Wembley Stadium, Ten Hag was able to call upon Martinez at left-back to allow Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans the luxury of playing in more familiar positions. Such versatility could prove crucial for the Reds this season particularly when the likes of Tyrell Malacia and Luke Shaw are still trying to overcome their injury problems. READ MORE: Why Fernandes is set to get a new United contract READ MORE: De Ligt and Mazraoui transfers will seriously impact five stars It is not surprising that United struggled to settle defensively last season without Martinez being in the starting line-up on a consistent basis.
With Matthijs de Ligt and Leny Yoro joining this summer, it would be easy to cast the Argentine to one side as just another player but this weekend he proved how integral he remains for the Reds. If United are going to be successful this season it shall also be dependent on the fitness of Bruno Fernandes . Playing in the unfamiliar false nine position, the Portuguese was once again one of the standout players for United.
With every passing performance, you can see how the captaincy at Old Trafford has aided Fernandes. Before, the 29-year-old would get too caught up in shenanigans which made him an easy target but that side of his game appears to be simmering down now as the weight of the armband shows its positive impact. His performance at Wembley was a fine example of this but also begs the bigger question of why Fernandes was not named among the 'untouchable' players at Old Trafford at the beginning of the transfer window.
However, the new contract on the table for Fernandes should put any concerns to bed about his future. The final big talking point from the traditional pre-season opener revolved around Marcus Rashford . The academy product promised he would come back stronger than ever after missing out on the England Euro 2024 squad and suffering a poor season by his standards.
Rashford will wish he had gotten off to the perfect start when he mistimed his strike after being teed up by Alejandro Garnacho. It was not the sort of performance that suggested a corner had been turned by Rashford and Ten Hag will be keen his forward remains positive heading into the season opener against Fulham on Friday night. This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it.
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