There was a lot of excitement as Manchester United kicked off their pre-season campaign against Leeds in Oslo. But after 45 minutes of action, there was a familiar feeling - an inability to take their chances.
Amad Diallo made some thrilling runs down the wing and Hannibal Mejbri was leading the charge from midfield. Mason Mount looked fully committed in his first outing for the Red Devils, pressing with intent, winning the ball back and playing incisive through balls.
But when United got into goalscoring territory, there was nobody to finish off their well-crafted moves. Amad’s shooting was wayward, Hannibal hit a shot straight at the goalkeeper and Jadon Sancho could barely make contact with the ball when given a dream cutback in the area from close range.
United ended up winning the game after Erik ten Hag made 11 changes at the break, with French hotshot Noam Emeran scoring a fine goal and Joe Hugill ripping the net with a powerful strike. But neither player looks likely to be in the Dutchman’s squad when United host Wolves in their Premier League opener on August 14.
If any conclusions are to be drawn from the friendly, they should be made from the more experienced 11 players who started the game. And in their 45 minutes on the pitch, there was a distinct lack of real goal threat.