Manchester United have made an excellent start to their preseason tour, beating Liverpool 4-0 and Melbourne Victory 4-1. Erik ten Hag’s side put in a strong showing in both games, and there were some impressive performances put in by United players across the pitch.
With the next preseason game right around the corner against Crystal Palace on Tuesday, some players have another opportunity to stake a claim for regular first-team football under Ten Hag, following a good account of themselves during the first two tour matches.
Facundo Pellistri
Uruguay forward Facundo Pellistri joined United in October 2020. The youngster began his Red Devils career in the under 23s, before being loaned out to Spanish side Alaves. He spent the remainder of the 2020/21 season there and returned to Alaves last season.
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However, Pellistri struggled for game time last season, making just 23 appearances in La Liga and the Copa Del Rey combined.
The 20-year-old made the perfect start to his first preseason tour with United. Coming off the bench to play 45 minutes in the second half, Pellistri scored United’s fourth goal, following some excellent link-up play with Eric Bailly and Amad.
The Uruguayan picked the ball up off Bailly centrally, before finding Amad and continuing his run. He received Amad's return pass inside the Liverpool area, shooting first time and slotting into the back of the net.
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Aside from his well-taken goal, Pellistri put in a good showing on the right-hand side. He was confident on the ball and happy to take on the Liverpool players, often getting the better of them. He also showed he had an eye for a pass, as his ball to Amad showed, and his decision-making was, overall, impressive.
A full international with Uruguay, Pellistri is clearly a talented player. Despite his tough loan spell last season, he has laid an excellent platform for himself ahead of the rest of United’s pre-season tour.
He did not feature against Melbourne Victory, but his performance against Liverpool last week has no doubt put him in Erik Ten Hag’s thoughts ahead of the rest of preseason.
The upcoming games in Australia provide the 20-year-old with another chance to impress Ten Hag and show United’s new manager why he deserves to be in the first-team squad next season.
Zidane Iqbal
Another talented youngster, Zidane Iqbal was one of the best players on the pitch in the second half against both Liverpool and Melbourne Victory. Playing in midfield next to Charlie Savage, the Iraq international went up against some of the best midfielders in the Premier League and did not look fazed by it.
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Iqbal was always happy to receive the ball deeper in United’s half and start attacks. He showed off his exceptional range of passing, a prime example coming against Liverpool. Iqbal played a spectacular pass over the top of the Liverpool defence to Anthony Elanga to run on to. Unfortunately, the Swedish forward was offside, but it was an excellent demonstration of the midfielder’s passing range.
Another impressive thing from Iqbal’s performance against Liverpool was his composure. Iqbal was very press-resistant throughout the game and didn’t really lose the ball when being pressed by Liverpool. He either found a pass or broke through Liverpool’s press himself, carrying the ball into vacant space.
There was one moment when Iqbal was being pressed by Fabinho. The Brazilian forced Iqbal back, but the 19-year-old was able to lose him by simply dropping his shoulder one way and turning into the vacant space the other. Moments like this really showed a level of class and maturity in Iqbal’s performance.
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In a very different game against Melbourne Victory, where the Australian side sat back and were happy to let United have a lot of possession in their half, Iqbal showed a different side to his game. The youngster was confident with the ball at his feet, carrying it deeper into the opposition half, showing off some exceptional skill all the while.
In one instance, Iqbal displayed some exceptional skill near the right-hand corner of the Melbourne Victory area. He beat two defenders and found space for a good cross, which was just out of the reach of Marcus Rashford.
Like Pellistri, the fact that Iqbal is already a full international at such a young age shows how highly rated he is by those in the game. Despite making only one competitive appearance for the first team, in the Champions League last season, Iqbal has a huge opportunity to further impress Ten Hag in the Australia leg of the tour.
It is certainly not outside the realms of possibility that Iqbal could get a lot more first-team minutes under his belt next season. After all, Ten Hag has been known to give opportunities to young players if they deserve a chance.
Eric Bailly
Since joining Manchester United in the summer of 2016, centre-back Eric Bailly’s Red Devils career has been hampered by injuries - he has been unavailable to play for United because of injury for a total of 566 days, a spell which includes 103 games. This is no doubt frustrating for Bailly, who will hope to stay fit over the coming season to try and pin down a more regular starting spot.
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In both preseason games so far, Bailly played the entire second half, at right centre back next to Alex Telles. Playing next to a makeshift centre-back meant Bailly had to step up and become the leader at the back. He did this well and showed his experience throughout the game. He even took the captain's armband against Liverpool.
Bailly has made some excellent defensive contributions so far, regularly making a crucial tackle or interception. He has developed a reputation at United for being a fearless defender, and this has been on show at times during preseason.
Bailly is a fast defender, and often uses his speed to his advantage, with the ability to match a lot of attackers for pace, or chase loose balls down before an opposition player. These were also things we saw on display during the first two pre-season games.
He did make a couple of mistakes against Melbourne Victory, but these are hopefully something that can be ironed out over the coming weeks.
Bailly has also made some important attacking contributions so far this season. He played a huge role in Pellistri’s goal against Liverpool, carrying the ball into their half, before finding a pass to the Uruguayan ahead of him.
He also grabbed an assist against Melbourne Victory, finding Marcus Rashford with an exceptional pass along the floor. The Ivory Coast international once again brought the ball out of defence and carried it into the midfield. Rashford made a brilliant run behind the opposition defence and was well found by Bailly.
It is certainly encouraging to see these kinds of runs and passes being made by Bailly, as it shows another dynamic to his game, which he has not necessarily been able to demonstrate in the past.
Overall, Bailly’s performances against both Liverpool and Melbourne Victory can only have benefitted him. It has no doubt earned him more minutes in pre-season to show he can be a regular for United. If he can stay fit the Ivorian could play an important role for Erik ten Hag’s side this season.
Topics: Manchester United, Facundo Pellistri, Zidane Iqbal, Eric Bailly, Erik Ten Hag, Football
Joe Nuttall