Manchester United suffered their second defeat of the pre-season on Saturday evening, as they were beaten 2-1 by Arsenal in Los Angeles.
The match started positively for Erik ten Hag as Rasmus Hojlund took full advantage of poor defending to put United ahead at the SoFi Stadium.
But United’s defensive weaknesses were exposed by the Gunners, with Gabriel Jesus levelling the score just before half-time and Gabriel Martinelli later grabbing the winner.
Mail Sport takes you through five things we learned…
Gabriel Martinelli scored the winning goal as Arsenal beat Manchester United 2-1 in Los Angeles
Recurring injury nightmare for United
If Manchester United were hoping to put last season’s injury nightmare behind them, they took a depressing step backwards in a 2-1 defeat to Arsenal at the SoFi Stadium.
Rasmus Hojlund and new signing Leny Yoro, worth £59million, both limped off the field before half-time, inflicting a painful double blow on manager Erik ten Hag.
Hojlund suffered a hamstring injury five minutes after putting United ahead and walked cautiously across the pitch towards the dressing room after treatment.
Yoro also seemed to know straight away that something was seriously wrong when he crouched down after half an hour. The young Frenchman, who just completed his transfer from Lille in time to go on tour, also took no chances and immediately left.
Ten Hag was asked about last season’s injury problems during his pre-match press conference. He pointed to the appointment of club doctor Gary O’Driscoll ten months ago and chief physio Jordan Reece, both from Arsenal, as reasons to be optimistic.
“Now he can start fresh and take charge,” the United manager said. “We have also adjusted the strategies in the medical and performance areas to improve.” Just 24 hours later, United were struggling with some familiar old problems.
Rasmus Hojlund and Leny Yoro were both injured in the first half at SoFi Stadium
Hojlund turns heaven into hell
Hojlund played just fifteen minutes in United’s opening tour match, but the Dane made a huge impression by scoring United’s first goal.
In the 10th minute he showed his true power by curling past Arsenal defender Ayden Heaven and firing his shot past goalkeeper Karl Hein.
United will need a good season from Hojlund, whose first season at Old Trafford was a success around Christmas after joining from Atalanta for £73million last summer. However, the quality dipped towards the end of the season as Erik ten Hag opted for Bruno Fernandes as a false nine for the last few Premier League games and the FA Cup final victory over Manchester City.
He will need some support from new £36.5m striker Joshua Zirkzee, with youngster Ethan Wheatley also emerging as an option. Ten Hag spoke on Friday about the importance of strength in depth and it was interesting that midfielder Hannibal replaced Mejbri Hojlund in the first half.
United had Wheatley, Jadon Sancho and Antony on the bench, but Ten Hag wanted to use them in the second half and did not want to risk overloading them by playing an extra half hour.
Hojlund only lasted fifteen minutes, but the Dane made a big impression by scoring first
Leny needs time to learn
Leny Yoro will need time to adapt to English football, despite his great reputation in Europe.
The young Frenchman arrived at United from Lille this summer as one of the continent’s most promising defenders, and he oozed class on his debut against Rangers last weekend. But he also made a number of basic errors and there was further evidence here that he is still learning before suffering an injury in the 33rd minute.
There were only seconds on the clock when his mistake let Gabriel Jesus in, but Yoro had the speed and agility to make up for his mistake – just as he did against Rangers at Murrayfield. Just before he went out, he played himself into trouble on the halfway line by being too complicated and was almost picked out of the pocket by Jesus.
He will be a huge asset to United but fans may have to be patient while he adjusts to a new country and a new league.
United fans may have to be patient as Yoro adjusts to a new country and a new league
Onana perfect for Utd
Andre Onana endured a difficult start to his United career when he was lobbed from the centre circle on his Old Trafford debut against Lens last August.
It left the Cameroonian feeling a bit down for a while, but he then recovered to become an important player under Erik ten Hag, following a £47.3million transfer from Internazionale.
A year on, Onana is far more comfortable as United’s No.1 and he produced a confident performance at the SoFi Stadium, the highlight being a brilliant reflex save from Leandro Trossard in the second half, after Onana had made another excellent save from Ethan Nwaneri in the first half when the Arsenal man was caught offside.
He could do little to prevent the Gunners’ 10th-minute equaliser, when Gabriel Jesus broke free from Harry Amass to score at the far post, or when Gabriel Martinelli capitalised on weak passes from James Scanlon and Will Fish to score the winning goal.
But he surprised United in a pre-arranged penalty shootout by making saves from Kai Havertz and Jakub Kiwior, giving United some solace in an all-English match.
Onana is now comfortable as United’s No.1 and delivered a confident performance in LA
Antony and Sancho fall flat
It is indicative of their position in the pecking order that Antony and Jadon Sancho started this game on the bench, while Amad Diallo – who was United’s best player against Rangers a week ago – was selected on the right flank.
With a combined transfer fee of £159m, neither player is meeting United’s expectations and both could be sold this summer if a good offer comes in.
Both Antony and Jadon Sancho (pictured) struggled to have any influence on the match
Both players failed to make a big impression in Los Angeles, with Antony making his first pre-season appearance on the right wing and Sancho his second on the left flank in the second half.
The stage was set for them to stake their claim for a place in Ten Hag’s starting XI for the clash against Liverpool in Columbia, South Carolina, assuming the United boss fields a younger team against Real Betis in San Diego. Sancho did score the decisive penalty in the shootout.
But this was another missed opportunity and if things continue like this, neither will start in the Community Shield against Manchester City on August 10, although Alejandro Garnacho may be unavailable after returning to training late following the Copa America.