Three things we learned as Manchester United beat Real Betis 3-2 | OneFootball

Manchester United took on Real Betis in the second leg of their tour of the United States of America at the Snapdragon stadium in San Diego this morning.

Red Devils fans were left reeling from the news just before kick off that new signing Leny Yoro would be out for three months and Rasmus Hojlund would be sidelined for six weeks after picking up injuries versus Arsenal last time out.

United lined up with a surprise in goal as Tom Heaton replaced Andre Onana and Victor Lindelof made his first appearance of pre-season. He was joined by Harry Maguire, Harry Amass and Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

Casemiro, Christian Eriksen and Scott McTominay formed an experienced midfield trio with Marcus Rashford and Amad Diallo on the wings.

Jadon Sancho was tasked as covering as a false nine with Hojlund injured and new signing Joshua Zirkzee not on tour.

Here are three things we learned from today’s match.

Amad Diallo must start against Manchester City

The Ivorian was impressive in the last few weeks of last season and he has continued where he left off in the last campaign.

The 22 year old was bright and lively during the match, just as he was against Arsenal.

He combined well with his fellow forwards Rashford and Sancho and won a penalty for United’s first goal as he bravely ran at the Betis defence.

He then scored a goal similar to his strike versus Newcastle United last season when he smashed in a well-struck shot into the bottom right of the goal to leave the Betis keeper no chance, after great work from Harry Amass.

With Alejandro Garnacho still on holiday after the Copa America, Amad will be a key cog in United’s attack and there is no doubt he brings something to the side that nobody else does. He seems a must to start in the Community Shield in nine days’ time.

Marcus Rashford proves his worth

One of the worst aspects of the 2023/2024 season was the monumental decline of Marcus Rashford.

The Matt Busby player of the year in 2023 only scored eight goals and had a glut of on and off field problems last season and there were even rumours that he may depart this summer.

The 26 year old was lively on the left hand side and wore a smile on his face the whole game, not something we were accustomed to seeing last year.

Rashford neatly tucked away the penalty for United’s opening goal and kept the Betis defence honest with some probing runs.

The forward also set up Casemiro to notch his side’s third of the evening.

If United are to hit the heights they aim to next season, a fully fit and firing Rashford will be essential to their progress.

A poor challenge by La Liga side left Rashford hurt and he had to hobble off the pitch just before the 60th minute mark. United fans will be hoping that it was just precautionary and not another serious problem to deal with.

A Casemiro renaissance

The 32 year old was much-maligned for his performances last season and numerous pundits claimed he was finished at the highest level.

The Brazilian was wonderful in his first season at Old Trafford but got nowhere near his top level last year and often looked lost and out of place.

One strong performance does not mean all his problems are behind him but today he showed something close to his best form.

Not only a goal and a couple of impressive efforts but also some nice passes were present in the Brazilian’s performance.

He was also less exposed in midfield as Erik ten Hag’s side were more possession based.

Where most United fans will be hoping that Manuel Ugarte is brought in, it looks like Casemiro will still have a significant role to play this year as there are currently few links to a move elsewhere.

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