Pre-season: United 5 Galatasaray 2

An early goal from Zlatan Ibrahimovic meant the Swede certainly made an impact on his debut, but United produced their best work after he'd left the pitch, scoring four times in the second half to turn around a half-time deficit in convincing fashion.

If it was fitting that Ibrahimovic should make his debut for United in his native Sweden, it was just as fitting that he should mark it with his first United goal barely three minutes into the game.  Valencia's excellent cross from the right found the mercurial Swede who scored with what was admittedly one of the less elegant of scissor kicks.

United appeared to have a stranglehold on the game in the early stages and it was therefore something of a shock when Galatasary equalised after 22 minutes, Gumus' header from a free kick bringing the sides level with his side's first chance.

The goal sparked the Turkish team into life and only a fine save from De Gea prevented them from taking the lead through Sneijder's long range effort.  Galatasaray continued to dominate, however, and got their reward five minutes before half time when Bruma played a neat one-two before calmly finishing into the bottom corner.

Mourinho made five changes at half-time and it didn't take United long to turn the game around.   They were level after just ten minutes, Valencia again the provider, cutting back from the line to find Rooney, who appeared among a group of defenders to crash the ball home.  Moments later a typically penetrating run from Rashford - on for Ibrahimovic at half-time - ended with the youngster upended in the box and Rooney made no mistake from the spot.

Valencia gained his third assist just after the hour mark when his high cross found Fellaini, whose header looped over the keeper to bring United a 4-2 lead and a third goal in seven minutes.

After another raft of substitutions, a fifth goal for a rampant United came when Mata found Carrick wide on the right and got into the box to meet the midfielder's cross and bundle home.

It was an impressive second half display from United, with Carrick running the game from midfield, some industrious play from Lingard and some scintillating running up front from Rashford that had Ibrahimovic, no less, on his feet applauding.  The teenager has been fazed by nothing since bursting into the United side, so perhaps he regards the appearance of one of the world's best strikers at Old Trafford as just another minor obstacle to be overcome.

  

Valera Departs for Frankfurt - Sad but Inevitable

Somewhat prematurely, this blog suggested last season that Guillermo Varela might be on the verge of becoming United's regular right back.  A couple of iffy defensive performances later and he lost his place in the first team squad, though he memorably secured the Under 21 championship for United with a scorching strike at White Hart Lane.

Now, Varela has headed out on a season-long loan to Eintracht Frankfurt, probably - you suspect - never to return.  It's no real surprise because you suspected Mourinho would never fancy a player who stood out far more for his intelligent attacking play rather than his defensive qualities.

He'll always be remembered as the first signing David Moyes made during his brief stint at Old Trafford.  Yet his brief period in the first team squad and speedy departure tells us far more about the difference between Van Gaal and Mourinho.

Van Gall was often accused of ultra-conservatism, but I never really thought that was the real problem.  In some ways, it was the opposite.  His elevation of Varela to the first team occurred, we can see in retrospect, at a time when the player was far from ready.  Van Gaal did that a lot - propelled young players into the first team before their time and sometimes it worked (spectacularly, in the case of Marcus Rashford) but sometimes it didn't.  The result, let us be frank, was often increased demands being placed on players whose deficiencies in some areas of the game were often all too apparent.

Such was the case with Varela.  He was brilliant against Arsenal at home, in one of those rare games last season when the whole team was brilliant, but later memories recall Juan Mata being dragged well out of his own comfort zone to cover the space he'd left vacant and, worst of all, there was that Liverpool goal at Old Trafford that effectively ended our involvement in the Europa League: Countinho and Klopp had wasted no time in judging that a major achilles heal for United was Varela not being where he was supposed to be on the pitch and they duly exploited it.

Mourinho is, above all else, a consummate risk-manager who just won't take those kinds of gamble on young players, whatever he tries to claim to the contrary.  He doesn't tend to do untried and untested at the highest level. Nor will he be willing to take a chance on a full back who, for all his flair going forward, can't defend.   It's therefore no surprise that Varela, however popular he has been with United fans, is one of the first to be shown the door.  

Pre-season: United 1 Borussia Dortmund 4

Mourinho had been keen to point out prior to this game that Borussia Dortmund were already well into their own pre-season schedule, against his own side's gentle workout at Wigan.  That certainly showed in this game: the Germans looked a yard quicker throughout and secured a comfortable victory against a less than impressive United.

The Reds looked second best from the off and found themselves a goal down in the twentieth minute when Castro fired into the roof of the net following a goalmouth scramble that ensued after Johnstone had parried Aubameyang's free kick.  Johnstone was picking the ball out of the net again fifteen minutes later when Aubameyang calmly chipping in his penalty kick after Valencia had been penalised for handball in the area.

United's best chance in the first period came when Lingard found himself through on goal, but couldn't get any power behind his shot and Weidenfeller saved comfortably.  However, there was no question that the Germans were worth their two-goal lead at half-time.

United made changes at half-time and began to look more lively after the break.  However, it was Dortmund who added to their lead when Dembele thrashed a shot past replacement keeper Romero.  United weren't three down for long though. Mata found himself through on goal but unselfishly chose to set up Mkhitaryan for a tap-in.  

The Reds looked capable of making a game of it from there but were unable to trouble the Dortmund keeper.  Instead, it was their opponents who re-established that three-goal margin five minutes from the end when Castro hit a thunderbolt of a shot past Romero for his second and his side's fourth.

Positives? Luke Shaw got ninety minutes under his belt and there were signs that Juan Mata might be able to function in Mourinho's system after all.  Other than that, this was one of those pre-season games you prefer to forget as quickly as possible.  It's all about that first game at Bournemouth will be the mantra, although it's difficult to imagine us being able to write off a performance like this should it occur against city in Beijing.

Wigan 0 United 2

United's pre-seasons in recent years tend to have commenced in relatively far-flung places, so Wigan was perhaps an unlikely place for the Mourinho era to begin. However, it did allow 7000 United fans to make the short trip up the M61 to get a first glimpse in a United shirt of new signings Bailly and Mkhitaryan and, perhaps most pleasing of all, witness Luke Shaw making his long-awaited return from injury.

It was Mkhitaryan who looked liveliest early on, setting up chances for Lingard and Memphis that emphasised the Armenian's reputation as an 'assist specialist', although it was his powerful running with the ball that most caught the eye.    When the ball fell to him at the far post for the best chance of the half, however, his shot was well over the bar.  Wigan offered little threat but, on the rare occasions that the United back four were called into action, Bailly looked accomplished and comfortable on the ball.

Mkhitaryan was among seven players to make way at half-time and it wasn't long before two of the replacements combined to give United the lead. There was, in truth, more than a little assistance from Jaaskelainen in the Wigan goal, the veteran keeper's clearance landing at the feet of Mata in the area for the Spaniard to set up Will Keane for the easiest of finishes.  

Keane was close to making it two when he got a foot to a fizzing low cross from Ashley Young, only to see his shot go narrowly wide.   The second goal wasn't long in coming though: following a Young free kick, Pereira latched onto a loose ball in the box and fired it into the top corner in some style.  

So, the Mourinho era began with a routine 2-0 win in what was, in truth, little more than a glorified training session at Wigan.  Great to see the Reds back in action though, and great to hear the United away support in their usual fine voice throughout.  It'll be interesting to see how many of the youngsters who got some minutes on the pitch today will make it onto the tour and the games against Borussia Dortmund and city.

Summer break - back in August

Bit of a summer break going on at the moment.  We'll be back with more United articles and reports in August, for what promises to be an interesting 2016/17...

West Ham 3 United 2

Having had the door to Champions League qualification carelessly left open by city, United saw it slammed firmly shut by a West Ham side who were in no mood to end their tenure of the Boleyn Ground with anything other than a win.

A night that had started badly for the Reds, whose team coach was attacked by missiles by Hammers supporters, continued that way as the home side seized the early advantage on the pitch.  Lanzini's cross from the left found Sakho, whose shot deflected off the foot of Blind to creep inside the post.

United almost found themselves two down when appallingly disorganised defending allowed Carroll a free run on goal, but the striker's shot found De Gea's feet in the way.  After half an hour the Reds began to suggest they might make West Ham pay for their failure to add to their total as they gradually found their way into the game.  

Early in the second half, with Carrick replacing Schneiderlin in the Reds eleven, United brought the scores level. Mata's cut back found Martial and the Frenchman made no mistake from close range.  With the game now an open affair, it seemed possible for either side to win it and it was United who got their noses in front with eighteen minutes to go.  Rooney's ball from midfield found Rashford, who picked out Martial on the left and he drove into the box to drill past Randolph at the far post.

At that point, Champions League qualification appeared to beckon, but the home side had a different idea of how the evening would end.  Antonio headed his side level four minutes later and it when De Gea failed to keep out a header from Reid, a victorious last game at the ground for West Ham was assured.

It was a thrilling match but ultimately deeply disappointing for United, who now play Bournemouth in the last game of the season knowing that a draw for city at Swansea will be enough, given their superior goal difference, to see Champions League football at the Etihad rather than Old Trafford next season.

Norwich 0 United 1

United went into this game without Rashford or Martial and the uninspiring fare on offer illustrated just how valuable they've proved during our recent upturn in form.  Fortunately, we ran into a Norwich side who were even worse and, largely thanks to an appalling piece of defending, left Carrow Road with what could still prove a vital three points.

Robbed of the pace of Rashford and Martial, United looked as dull as they have for so much of the season.  Against a nervous looking Norwich, the lack of adventure was all too apparent.  De Gea saved to deny Jerome early on when the forward probably ought to have done better, but Norwich offered little else in a dire first half.  

Sadly, the Reds offered nothing better.  We dominated possession, of course, but the build-up play was slow and laborious.  Smalling's header over the bar from a corner was the closest United came and there was a disappointing new addition to the continuing saga of our defensive injuries when Darmian was forced off with what looked a nasty foot injury.

United opened the second half with a little more urgency and Herrera almost capitalised when his volley from Mata's pass went narrowly wide.  If this signified a more adventurous approach from the Reds in the second half, then the improvement turned out to be only marginal.

It took a horrendous defensive error from the home side to bring about the crucial goal.  Bassong's missed header allowed Rooney a run on goal and then, just as it looked like the chance had been squandered, the United captain produced a pass to set up the advancing Mata, who drilled home from close range.  

If the move emphasised that Rooney's future is probably as a creator rather than a scorer of goals, the sublime pass he then laid on for Schneiderlin offered further evidence.  Sadly, the Frenchman's future certainly isn't as a forward and he illustrated this by steering his shot tamely wide.

Although Norwich played most of the second half with a second striker, they offered little more than speculative yahoos into the box that were easily dealt with, more often than not by the typically efficient Chris Smalling and United were allowed to stroll to a comfortable win.

The three points keep us in the chase for a Champions League spot, but there will be many among the Reds support scratching their heads about how on earth we allowed these opponents to win at Old Trafford earlier in the season.  Had we not, the road to European qualification would surely have been a hell of a lot smoother and not involve reliance on a notoriously unreliable Arsenal at city or a that tricky midweek trip to the Boleyn Ground.