JOOMIC SPORTS

  Erik ten Hag must decide whether to stick or twist when naming his Manchester United team for the pre-season outing against Melbourne Victory on Friday afternoon UK time (12pm start). During the summer opener - against main rivals Liverpool in Bangkok - manager Ten Hag opted for experience to start with as his squad put in an eye-catching performance to earn their 4-0 victory. Jadon Sancho, Fred, Anthony Martial and Facundo Pellistri were on target. With the game sewn up, United turned to youth and presented welcome opportunities to fringe players. But will they get the nod first up when getting down to business at the famous Melbourne Cricket Ground? Manchester United predicted line-up vs Melbourne Victory (4-2-3-1): Heaton; Dalot, Maguire, Bailly, Malacia; Fred, McTominay; Sancho, Van de Beek, Rashford; Martial.

  Tyrell Malacia will hope to make his full debut for Manchester United in Friday's pre-season friendly with Australian outfit Melbourne Victory. The club's only summer arrival featured off the bench against Liverpool on Tuesday, with the Red Devils opening their pre-season with a 4-0 victory over their Premier League rivals in Thailand. Malacia could replace Luke Shaw in the starting XI for this match, and it is likely that head coach Erik ten Hag will shuffle his pack, with Donny van de Beek and Anthony Elanga also set to come into the side. Club captain Harry Maguire did not feature against Liverpool due to a slight knock, but he is expected to be in the starting XI on Friday, potentially alongside Raphael Varane in the middle. Anthony Martial, who was on the scoresheet in a fine first-half display against Liverpool, might again get the nod through the middle due to the ongoing absence of Cristiano Ronaldo. Bruno Fernandes should also retain his spot, with appearances for th...

  Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag might be a success or a failure, but the Dutchman is at the very least clear of his ideas. During the latter stages of Ole Gunnar Solksjaer’s spell and under Ralf Rangnick, it looked as the ideas of the manager were getting lost in translation when the players took to the park. The communication with the recruitment side was suspect too. One of the most obvious victims of that was Donny van de Beek. The 25-year-old joined in 2020 from ten Hag’s Ajax, but found a club without a plan for him. Wasted and unable to find his feet, he spent the second half of last season on loan at Everton. United fans will be hoping that ten Hag can get the best out of him this season. Speaking to the media during the preseason tour in Australia, ten Hag was clear on where he saw van de Beek playing. “Donny van de Beek’s best position is his capabilities in the box of opponent. Playing short behind a striker, he has a really go. TalkSPORT reported his quotes and ...

 The new era at Old Trafford will see ten Hag try to bring the brand of football that made his Ajax side so successful and that will likely involve a period of adaptation for the United squad. In particular, the new pressing scheme will require some getting used to, after plenty of counter-attacking football under penultimate manager Ole Gunnar Solksjaer. Following the match, ten Hag admitted they were “satisfied” with the performance, before assessing the implementation of their tactics. “We did the press, a few mistakes in pressing, conceded some chances, but we also created a lot. I think our team played brave, played proactive. We have to work really hard to get out of the mistakes, but of course we are happy with the first game.” He was also keen to point out that their opponents were not at their peak either – Liverpool started preseason later after their exertions in Europe. Manchester Evening News covered his responses. “(It will take) a lot of time. Believe me. I have seen...

 Anthony Martial extended Manchester United’s lead over Liverpool to three goals with a dink over Alisson. Martial latched on to a through ball showing his electric pace and dinked the ball over Alisson to extend Manchester United’s lead.

 Manchester United got off to a perfect start with their pre-season tour after beating Liverpool 4-0 in Bangkok. Most of the players were given minutes to boost their fitness levels ahead of the new season. In Harry Maguire’s absence, Bruno Fernandes captained the side from the start but he was substituted in the second half, when Anthony Elanga was among the young players to come on. Neither player got on the scoresheet but they were spotted sharing some words at full-time. It looks like Fernandes is lending the youngster some advice and Amad Diallo can be seen with his ear to the ground. Hopefully it was advice the younger players can take on board over the coming weeks to impress the manager.

 Erik ten Hag enjoyed a dream start to life at Manchester United after his side comfortably beat Liverpool in their first pre-season friendly of the summer. The 52-year-old named a strong side to face Jurgen Klopp’s side and was vindicated after goals from Jadon Sancho, Fred, Anthony Martial and Facundo Pellistri ensured victory on the opening day. Ten Hag shuffled his pack for the second half by making ten changes, with only David de Gea keeping his place. His original selection may, however, already have hinted at what his plans are for the upcoming season. We take a look at some of the things we learned below. Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s future is in doubt Harry Maguire played no part in the game due to a small injury and there were no real surprises when Ten Hag named a back-four of Diogo Dalot, Victor Lindelof, Raphael Varane and Luke Shaw – the closest he gets to first-choice with injuries taken into consideration. Wan-Bissaka lost his place under Ralf Rangnick and that seems to have...