The city of Trondheim welcomed Michael Carrick’s men for the second of six pre-season outings, with the Reds earning invaluable minutes in a 5-0 win against Rosenborg.
Building on the weekend’s defeat to Wrexham, United embraced a challenging task against a side midway through their Eliteserien campaign.
As in Helsinki, supporters were treated to a strong starting XI, captained by Harry Maguire alongside the likes of Luke Shaw, Mason Mount, Bryan Mbeumo and Shea Lacey.
Speaking ahead of the game, Carrick was quick to outline his ambitions in Norway, with one eye firmly on a Premier League opener against Hull in August.
“It’s hard to know what to expect from the opposition to start with,” the 44-year-old told MUTV.
“So, we’ve kind of focused obviously a lot on us, what we want to try and get out of the game: a bit of consistency, a few relationships, understanding, getting a lot of minutes for players.
“Then, obviously, looking forward again, I thought the younger players did ever so well last week, and I was really pleased with a lot of the things that they did, so looking forward to seeing pretty much all of them in the second half as well.”
Despite facing an outfit primed for competitive football, United quickly grew into the contest, offering ample threat through the ever-welcoming figure of Mbeumo in attack.
Although plenty impressed from the opening whistle, Leny Yoro dictated a promising display while again stationed on the right side of defence, linking well with his Cameroonian teammate on the flank.
Carrick was aiming to build continuity on Friday evening, and he was visibly happy with an assured showing from a group that had upped a gear since facing Wrexham.
Understandably, Andrey Santos attracted plenty of attention in midfield. His positive play presented Patrick Dorgu with an opportunity midway through the half, before the woodwork denied the Dane a stellar finish.
But constant pressure was rewarded shortly afterwards when Lacey guided a curled effort past Leopold Wahlstedt following some well-worked play by Joshua Zirkzee in the buildup.
United took a deserved lead into the break, alongside a very good 45-minute workout in testing conditions.
Harry Amass and Jaydan Kamason replaced Shaw and Maguire for the restart, as Carrick opted to build further sharpness within the remainder of his starting selection.
Mount and Zirkzee impressed throughout the opening half and continued to pull the strings in the second, with the latter doubling the lead following an exquisite piece of technical control.
Expectedly, eight academy prospects entered proceedings on the hour mark: Chido Obi, Ethan Williams, Toby Collyer, Tyler and Jack Fletcher, Dan Gore, Dan Armer, and Jacob Devaney.
It took two minutes for the ever-ready Devaney to add a third for his side, smashing home from close range following a fine delivery from the corner spot.
There was a certain swagger from United, epitomised by a brand of attack-minded flamboyancy that was championed by Carrington’s latest crop.
Kamason and Amass linked up for their side’s fourth, spearheading a sweeping team transition before Jaydan whipped a ball across the face of the goal for Harry to slide home at the far post.
The Reds made it five late on when Williams also profited from the excellent wide work of Kamason, tapping into an empty net after his full-back had beaten two defenders before expertly offloading.
A job well done for Carrick and his men in Norway, ahead of next weekend’s meeting with Atletico Madrid in Stockholm.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments or across our social channels–photo by manutd.com.
Recent Posts
- United striving for momentum against City in Manchester derby
- Denis Law | The King Of The Stretford End
- United hit Sabah for four in triumphant Champions League return
