Manchester United held by PSG: Amad shines, Maguire and Heaven struggle, and how did Tielemans get on?
Manchester United were held to a 1-1 draw by Paris Saint-Germain in their pre-season friendly in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Things started badly for Michael Carrick’s side, who conceded in the second minute when Ibrahim Mbaye side-footed home after a cross-goal ball from Dro Fernandez.
There was further frustration for United as Mason Mount went off with an apparent injury in the 20th minute. But Bryan Mbeumo drew them level with a low, left-footed shot from inside the box in the 32nd minute after persistent work from Amad.
After half-time, goalkeeper Tom Heaton — deputising for the ill Senne Lammens, with Matheus Cunha out for the same reason — went down injured after coming off his line to clear and had to be replaced by academy graduate Dermot Mee.
The Premier League side could not find another goal against Luis Enrique’s back-to-back Champions League winners, though Mbeumo stung the palms of goalkeeper Matvey Safonov in the 54th minute after cutting into the box. Bruno Fernandes had a late effort from distance which bounced wide.
United have two friendlies left, against Leeds United and Milan, before their Premier League opener against Hull City on August 22.
Here, Conor O’Neill breaks down the key talking points.
Amad makes a statement
Amad furthered his claim to United’s right-sided attacking role here, with a performance full of effervescence and guile.
The Ivory Coast international sprung United out of their early slumber, injecting impetus with his driving runs upfield. Those darting dribbles gave the 16-year-old full-back Axel Koukaba a torrid time, as Amad beat him with ease on the inside and outside.
But it was Amad’s out-of-possession work that really stood out, as he hassled and harried PSG’s makeshift backline into mistakes.
Amad was a livewire in and out of possession (Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)
That endeavour brought United their opening goal, with Amad nicking the ball in the attacking half and driving to the edge of the box before slipping a neat pass through for Mbeumo to apply a trademark left-footed finish.
With Benjamin Sesko still nursing a shin injury, Mbeumo is deputising through the middle, leaving the right flank open for Amad to make his own. The lack of a recognised centre-forward also gives United’s front four greater flexibility, with Mbeumo often drifting wide and allowing Amad to drive infield. The pair have developed an encouraging understanding, combining and rotating to good effect.
Amad looks fit and sharp, fresh from an impressive World Cup in which he scored twice for Ivory Coast. Carrick will hope that form carries into the new season.
Problems playing out from the back
United have beefed up their midfield options this window, but issues remain further back.
Harry Maguire and Ayden Heaven have started all four pre-season games at centre-back, and the pair looked uneasy in possession here.
They faced a PSG side who, although initially without their usual cast of stars, remained fully committed to the high press Luis Enrique demands. Faced with it, Maguire and Heaven struggled to manoeuvre the ball quickly in tight spaces. At one point, Heaven carelessly surrendered possession to Khvicha Kvaratskhelia before launching into a reckless challenge in an attempt to make amends.
Harry Maguire and his centre-back partner Ayden Heaven did not always look comfortable (Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)
To their credit, Maguire and Heaven had looked solid before today. Heaven’s ball-carrying and Maguire’s long diagonals still give United different ways of progressing the ball, but deft line-breaking passes eluded them here. Leny Yoro, who started on the bench, is more accomplished at punching those kinds of passes through the lines, as is the injured Lisandro Martinez, although questions remain over the physicality of both.
The bulk of United’s chances stemmed from counter-attacks or winning the ball high up the pitch, rather than from considered attacks built from the back. It is a problem Carrick needs to address quickly if United are to regularly assert themselves in games this season.
How did Tielemans perform on debut?
Almost a full month after signing from Aston Villa for £35million in July, United fans finally got their first glimpse of Tielemans in a red shirt.
Coming on for fellow summer midfield signing Andrey Santos for the final 30 minutes, Tielemans had limited time to impose himself on the game, but still offered a taste of the qualities he can bring to the side.
The Belgium midfielder displayed the trademark composure he was renowned for at Villa. In one of his early involvements, Tielemans chested down a flighted ball under pressure in his own third, before calmly releasing it. His contributions were largely subtle, anticipating and mopping up the odd loose ball, and feeding attackers with short, smart passes.
He was involved in one of United’s biggest chances of the second half, when Joshua Zirkzee was wiped out by Safonov before Tyler Fletcher and Shea Lacey failed to convert into the vacant net. Tielemans had kickstarted the move with a clever round-the-corner pass while facing his own goal, shrugging off Vitinha as the midfielder hounded him from behind.
In the 82nd minute, Tielemans then played a delicious outside-of-the-foot pass into Fernandes inside the box, only for his curled effort to lack conviction.
It was only a brief cameo, but Carrick will have liked what he saw. Tielemans was calm under pressure, defensively switched on, and provided an extra creative edge from the middle — the exact blend of attributes that convinced United to sign him.