Manchester United began their run of eight pre-season friendlies with a comfortable 2-0 win over Leeds. In a game that featured 44 players on both sides, Noam Emeran and Joe Hugill were the difference makers for Erik ten Hag’s side in the second half.
The build up to kick-off was emotionally charged as the clubs put their historic rivalry to one side to pay tribute to the late Gordon McQueen, a legend of both, following his untimely death last month at the age of just 70 after suffering with dementia since 2021. Captains Raphael Varane and Liam Cooper each donned special shirts bearing McQueen’s name and number five during the pre-match formalities, while there was also a minute’s applause in his honour.
Ten Hag’s United dominated the early stages, with Amad Diallo sharp from the start and Kobbie Mainoo patrolling the base of the midfield like a seasoned pro. There was also a bright unofficial debut from Mason Mount, who was involved in two early chances.
The former Chelsea star began a move that saw Hannibal Mejbri force a top save from Kristoffer Klaesson from the centre of the box, having released the speedy Amad down the right flank. Mount then picked the pocket of Leeds defender Jeremiah Chilokoa-Mullen and floated a lobbed effort that just landed on the roof of the net, with Klaesson back-pedalling.
Leeds hadn’t really done much in an attacking sense for the first 18 minutes until a swift counter attack put a chance on a plate for Ian Poveda, only to see Hannibal come flying back at him. Daniel Farke’s team grew with confidence and continued to pose a threat on the break, although Tom Heaton was only called into proper action once before the break.
At the other end, United continued to make chances without testing Klaesson again. A better touch from false nine Jadon Sancho after Hannibal’s interception and layoff could have provided the breakthrough, while full-back Alvaro Fernandez missed the target with a close-ranger header at a corner. A couple of jinking runs from Amad also asked questions but didn’t yield a shot on target.
Both managers sent out entirely different teams in the second half, with Ten hag handing the honour of the United captaincy to 20-year-old midfielder Charlie Savage. With the game then effectively starting with 22 new players on the pitch, it was a slow start to the second half as both sides took time to find their feet and get into some sort of rhythm.
Hugill threatened at the hour mark when he chased a through ball, only to see replacement Leeds goalkeeper Dani van den Heuvel dive at his feet and beat him to it. But it wasn’t long after that Emeran broke the deadlock with a composed finish, opening up his body to fire low across goal after being played in by Isak Hansen-Aaroen when the Norwegian had won the ball in the Leeds half.
17-year-old Archie Gray gave the Leeds fans in the stadium a reason to get off their feet when his powerful drive from just outside the box rippled the side netting just the wrong side of the post.
But Hugill’s goal just inside the final 10 minutes looked to seal things. Emeran turned provider this time, advancing down the right, cutting back and finding his striker with a clever reverse pass with his left. Hugill could hardly miss, sweeping the ball in with assured confidence.
Man Utd player ratings (4-3-3)
First half XI
GK: Tom Heaton - 6/10 - Only made one noteworthy save and wasn't massively tested.
RB: Aaron Wan-Bissaka - 6/10 - Spent plenty of time in the middle of the pitch because inverted full-backs are cool right now.
CB: Raphael Varane (c) - 6/10 - Gave the ball away and was done for pace during one Leeds counter, but otherwise was excellent in possession.
CB: Lisandro Martinez - 6/10 - Covered well and will be happy for his first minutes since limping off the pitch in April.
LB: Alvaro Fernandez - 6/10 - Not really tested in a defensive capacity. Should have scored.
DM: Kobbie Mainoo - 8/10 - Played with real maturity in that deep-lying role. One to watch.
CM: Hannibal Mejbri - 8/10 - Keen to break forward from midfield and involved in a number of chances. Also made a goal-saving tackle in an all-action performance.
CM: Mason Mount - 7/10 - A promising start to his United career. Involved in early chances.
RW: Amad Diallo - 8/10 - Electric right from the start. End product needs some polishing but has made his case to get first-team chances this season.
ST: Jadon Sancho - 6/10 - Operated in a false nine role. His touch let him down once or twice, but generally linked up well with Amad and Hannibal in particular.
LW: Omari Forsun - 6/10 - Impressed in patches, although much of United's best attacking play came down the opposite flank.
Second half XI
GK: Matej Kovar - 6/10 - Flew to his right when Gray's speculative strike hit the side netting, but didn't have to do much else. Very comfortable with the ball at his feet.
RB: Marc Jurado - 7/10 - Showed a real willingness to get forward.
CB: Will Fish - 6/10 - Passed the ball out from the back well.
CB: Rhys Bennett - 7/10 - Marshalled experienced striker Patrick Bamford.
LB: Brandon Williams - 6/10 - Similar to Wan-Bissaka on the opposite side in the first half, he took up central midfield positions a number of times when United had the ball.
DM: Charlie Savage (c) - 7/10 - Looked assured and the captain's armband didn't weigh him down.
CM: Dan Gore - 6/10 - Functional performance from the home-grown midfielder.
CM: Isak Hansen-Aaroen - 8/10 - Almost played like a second striker at times the way he got forward from midfield. Made the goal for Emeran after regaining possession himself.
RW: Noam Emeran - 9/10 - Took his goal really well and assisted the second. Will take plenty of confidence from this performance.
ST: Joe Hugill - 8/10 - The only out and out 'number nine' available on the day. Held the ball up well, involved in good interplay and capped a strong display with a clinical finish.
LW: Shola Shoretire - 6/10 - Least involved of United's attacking unit.
Manager
Erik ten Hag - 8/10 - Took the opportunity to name a mostly young team to begin with and then handed 11 new players a chance to impress ahead of the upcoming United States tour.
Player of the match - Noam Emeran
This article was originally published on 90min as Man Utd 2-0 Leeds: Player ratings as young Red Devils impress in pre-season win.
