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Manchester United took on Arsenal in Los Angeles in the third match of their pre-season schedule after games against Rosenborg and Glasgow Rangers.
With the Gunners finishing in second place last year in the Premier League, it promised to be a real step up in quality for United to deal with.
The Red Devils started with Andre Onana in goal and a back four of Aaron Wan-Bissaka, new signing Leny Yoro, Harry Maguire and Harry Amass.
The midfield consisted of Toby Collyer, Casemiro and Mason Mount and the attacking trio of Marcus Rashford, Marcus Rashford and Amad Diallo.
The second half saw 10 outfield changes as has been the case all pre-season so far for United.
Here are three things we learned from the encounter.
Injury Curse strikes yet again
United’s new number nine Rasmus Hojlund got off to the perfect start as he opened the scoring in the first ten minutes.
A wonderful ball over the top by Rashford was expertly held up and then he beat the Arsenal defence for pace before calmly slotting in through the keeper’s legs.
A spanner in the works arrived when a sadly familiar sign from last season reared its ugly head once again as Hojlund was soon spotted down on the turf, complaining about an injury.
The Dane seemed to suffer a potential hamstring problem but the severity of the injury is not yet known and United fans will be hoping the change was only precautionary.
Disaster struck for a second time when Leny Yoro was taken off visibly distressed during the drinks break.
United can ill afford to have a similar injury hell like last season, and the signs so far are not promising. Yoro in particular will be keen not to miss much time as he attempts to bed into a new side.
Youth step up once more
United academy products Toby Collyer and Harry Amass continued building their first team experience and played in their third consecutive game of pre-season.
Unlike the first two encounters, they both got games from the start and lined up alongside the senior pros.
Collyer has had quite the summer where he has signed a new contract and he has been tipped for a role in the first team next season.
The 20 year old didn’t seem out of place in the midfield battle with players such as Martin Odegaard and Jorginho.
He expertly nicked the ball away from the Arsenal attack a couple of times and caught the eye with a solo run into the penalty box where he almost got a shot off.
Left back Amass was also a bright spark of the first half where he linked up well with Marcus Rashford down the left hand side and his performance was full of energy and endeavour.
Andre Onana continues to grow in stature
The United goalkeeper had the definition of a rollercoaster season last year where he had some incredible lows but huge highs in his debut campaign.
The Cameroonian was confident throughout and performed his role of sweeper keeper expertly, coming out to clear the ball from danger on numerous occasions.
The 28 year old also made a couple of smart acrobatic stops to deny Mikel Arteta’s side, wearing the captain’s armband in the second half. Perhaps he could have gotten down a little quicker to stop Gabriel Martinelli’s late strike but overall did not influence a good all-round showing.
Many United fans will be hoping he can play in a more similar ball playing style to how he made his name at Ajax and became one of the most respected keepers in the world after his stint at Inter Milan.
A back four of Diogo Dalot, Luke Shaw, Lisandro Martinez and Yoro should assist him flourish with a high line and their comfort on the ball should also see him dictate playing out from the back in a way he was unable to last campaign.
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