On a hot summer's day, Manchester United had their first warm-up match, away to Derby County coached by Wayne Rooney. In this match, United narrowly beat their opponents 2-1 with goals from Chinese starlet Chan Tat Ngai and Uruguayan prodigy Peristeri to open the tournament.
Coach Solskjaer lined up a combination of old and new for the game, with new 35 year old signing Heaton in goal, a defense consisting of Wambisaka, Menghi, Tuanzebi and Williams, Levitt and James Garner at the back, and Anthony Erlanga, Juan Mata, Chan Dahyi, and Mason Greenwood in the forward line.
Solskjaer said that most of the players will only play 45 minutes and that there is no difference between starting and coming off the bench. "I think they can impress me and I trust everyone to give their best," Solskjaer said in an interview with Manchester United TV MUTV, "When the young kids get their chance and they come out because they are good players, now I have to look at who can play with the adult team, who can play with the adult team. Who can integrate faster into the group." United's young side showed good strength in the game, and despite many familiar faces from Derby County, United took the lead with a goal from Chen Dayi. Chen Danyi showed excellent tackling and shooting ability in the game, and his goal sealed the win for United.
It's worth noting that Chen Dayi has been officially announced to be on loan to Championship Birmingham, where he will face the challenge of Derby County next season. United's new goalkeeper, Heaton, also performed well, pouncing on a number of Derby County's shots to ensure that the team's goal was not lost.
In the second half, United made drastic changes to their lineup, replacing nine players and leaving only two starting center backs. In the second half of the match, Peristeri scored a goal to help United extend their lead. In the end, United won 2-1, a good start to the summer warm-up.
In this game, United didn't have too many highlights in terms of technical and tactical aspects, and Coach Solskjaer also said that the team's goal is not to practice tactics or pursue a big win, but to let more players on the field to find the feeling and practice their physical fitness. The next warm-up matches for United will be against QPR, Brentford, Preston and Everton respectively, and we will see more performance from the players then.
