Manchester United laboured to a goalless draw with fierce foes Leeds United in their opening pre-season fixture of the summer on Saturday.
Both clubs donned their recently unveiled away shirts at the Strawberry Arena in Stockholm, but it was those in the blue of Leeds who made the marginally more encouraging start to a low-key affair. An early delivery flashed across the face of Altay Bayındır’s goal was the closest either side came in the opening exchanges, with debutant Lukas Nmecha close to turning home from four yards.
Man Utd youngster Chido Obi produced the first shot on target of the afternoon shortly after the half-hour mark but his speculative effort was confidently rebuffed by Karl Darlow, with Casemiro’s deflected effort rebounding off the crossbar in first-half stoppage time as Ruben Amorim’s side started to find their footing.
Much like the first half, it was Leeds who were brighter at the beginning of the second period. Jayden Bogle’s marauding runs had caused Man Utd problems before the break and another lung-busting burst from the right-back resulted in half-time substitute Tom Heaton being called into action. From the subsequent corner, Ao Tanaka fired an effort agonisingly wide.
The veteran goalkeeper proved his side’s saviour again just a few minutes later as Leeds opened up their rivals. Ex-Man Utd forward Largie Ramazani found himself one-on-one with Heaton but the 39-year-old closed the angle effectively to keep the game goalless.
Patrick Dorgu half-heartedly appealed for a penalty in the last 10 minutes following a clumsy challenge from Sam Chambers in the area but the referee waved play on, with the Denmark international quickly returning to his feet to test Illan Meslier.
Man Utd waited until the dying embers to produce their best opportunity of the afternoon as a set-piece delivery caused chaos in Leeds’ box. Kobbie Mainoo headed onto the crossbar and Ayden Heaven saw his subsequent effort dramatically blocked as the Red Devils ultimately drew a blank in Stockholm.
Matheus Cunha & Diego León Make Debuts
Man Utd’s summer recruits Matheus Cunha and Diego León were both handed starts by Amorim against Leeds, with the former lining up as the left inside forward and the latter as the left wing-back in the Portuguese manager’s 3-4-2-1 system.
For Cunha, it was a somewhat frustrating start to his life with the Red Devils. The Brazilian rarely saw the ball during a lifeless first half, managing just 25 touches and seldom finding himself in promising positions. He offered moments during his 45-minute outing, with some neat touches and powerful bursts causing Leeds issues, but he was unable to make any telling impact in the final third—although he was certainly not alone in that regard.
León also offered encouragement when in possession and made some eye-catching bursts down the left wing. The Paraguayan even set up Obi for Man Utd’s only shot on target of the first half, but he was slightly less convincing from a defensive standpoint. Leeds’ best moments came down his flank and he struggled to contain the pace and trickery of Wilfried Gnonto, who was in lively mood.
Attacking Frustrations
Results matter little in pre-season but performances can be indicative of what is to come. Man Utd supporters will certainly hope they see improvements in their upcoming friendlies that can offer hope of a productive 2025–26 campaign.
Man Utd were largely underwhelming during Saturday’s outing, particularly from an attacking standpoint. They failed to carve out many opportunities of note and their build-up play was worryingly sluggish and ineffective—traits that were all too prevalent in the misfiring Red Devils last season.
It was only in the final 10 minutes that Man Utd started to throw a little caution to the wind, creating some of their most encouraging moments as they pushed for a late winner. Patrick Dorgu came close and Kobbie Mainoo struck the bar, but it was still a concerning overall performance from Man Utd’s forward line.
Ruben Amorim Snubs Youth
Pre-season is the perfect opportunity to hand opportunities to academy talent but Amorim opted against using a number of his travelling wonderkids. While more established youngsters like Obi, Toby Collyer and Tyler Fredricson earned some minutes, four teenagers were left on the bench despite Man Utd struggling for inspiration.
Godwill Kukonki, Reece Munro, Sékou Koné and Ethan Williams were all snubbed for even small cameos, while the promising Jack Fletcher only came on in the 80th minute. With Man Utd not expected to take a large squad to the United States for the Premier League Summer Series, Amorim may have wasted an opportunity to see some of the club’s top young talents in action.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Another Slow Start: Takeaways As Man Utd Underwhelm in Opening Friendly.