Real Betis 1-0 Man United: Erik Ten Hag’s side slip to a second straight loss on mid-season tour

On a night when some Manchester United players were facing one of the games of their lives, this is not an occasion that will live on in the memories of the rest of Erik ten Hag’s squad.

The World Cup semi-final between England and France could not have felt more distant in a sparsely packed Estadio Benito Villamarín in Seville, where United concluded their Spanish training camp with another loss to Real Betis.

After losing to Cádiz 4-2 on Wednesday night, United fell to sixth place in La Liga led by former Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini. But this exercise was never going to be about results, as ten Hag and his players prepare to restart the domestic season after the World Cup in Qatar.

In fact, in Seville it was even more important that the young defender Teden Mengi was stretchered off the pitch in the 19th minute after suffering a leg injury.

As they return home to a freezing Manchester on Saturday night after the warm-weather camp – which was not particularly warm thanks to heavy rain in Andalucia – Ten Hag will want his players to improve next week as they prepare for the Draw of the Carabao Cup against Burnley at Old Trafford the week of Wednesday.

United will have some of their World Cup players back by then: Christian Eriksen returns to the club on Monday, and the quarter-final knockouts will only be a week behind, but some of those on duty in Spain will too. they will. face Burnley.

What we won’t get, of course, are the massive changes during these matches that reduce them to little more than exhibition games. For the record, United’s first choice XI was level at the interval when Ten Hag made four changes and brought out David de Gea and Anthony Martial.

The second half had less than four minutes left when Nabil Fekir, a Frenchman, happened to drill the ball past substitute goalkeeper Tom Heaton.

This was another chance for many of United’s FA Youth Cup-winning side last season to gain some senior experience, as well as fringe players like Heaton, Brandon Williams and Aaron Wan-Bissaka to get a few minutes to their credit.

Williams was in a typically combative mood and crushed Luiz Henrique and Rodri Sánchez in the first eight minutes. However, like the officials in Cádiz, referee José Luis Munuera Montero was reluctant to draw the cards from him.

Williams also blocked a shot from Rodri near his own line that looked like it might slip inside De Gea’s left post.

Youngster Isak Hansen-Aaroen, a late replacement in the starting line-up for Donny van de Beek, then lost possession near his own box, resulting in Paul Akouokou hitting the foot of the post with a low shot through a gatehouse full of people.

United offered little for the future despite the presence of Martial – who returns to the city where he spent the second half of last season on loan at Sevilla – and Alejandro Garnacho, who had a dull night. In fact, United’s two clearest chances fell to Scott McTominay, who shot both high and wide.

The loss of Mengi, who appeared to be clutching the back of his leg, brought winning FA Youth captain Rhys Bennett into the fight early and that was followed by more changes at half time.

Heaton was outplayed by Fekir four minutes after the restart and was grateful that a daring drive from inside his own half by Borja Iglesias landed on top of the goal instead of inside it after catching the former England keeper off his line.

Heaton, to be fair, made several saves after that and looked a safer pair of hands than Martin Dubravka in the loss to Cádiz.

However, a second defeat in Spain will not worry ten Hag too much, on a night when only the result mattered.