All the preseason friendlies are in the books now for Manchester United as they played Athletic Club to a score draw in Dublin, Ireland earlier today. Lots of news items to discuss today, pertaining to Jadon Sancho, Harry Maguire, Facundo Pellistri and more, as United played in the Emerald Isle for the first time since 2017.
Let’s start with Sancho, who had a very interesting, albeit mixed bag of a preseason.
The former Borussia Dortmund star has a natural position on the left flank, but that spot belongs to Marcus Rashford. He can also play on the right wing, but that is Antony’s gig right now.
He’s been played in a central forward role, sometimes as a false nine, quite a bit this summer preseason.
But he obviously won’t be the first choice there, given the arrival of Rasmus Hojlund, the £72 million signing who was officially announced at the Red Devils’ friendly win over Lens yesterday.
Also the emergence of Alejandro Garnacho provides additional competition for playing time.
A situation that will be even worse if Mason Greenwood is reinstated. Sancho did score against Arsenal in New York, but he has failed to really impress this summer, and he didn’t rack up the goals despite being trialed as a central striker this preseason.
Moreover, most of his playing time has come in the lower profile friendlies, not the bigger exhibition matches.
It’s hard to see where the 23-year-old English international fits in this upcoming season, as he’s failed in the opportunities that he’s had to establish himself in the United team.
He moved over from BVB for 85 million Euro in 2021, but hasn’t lived up to the hype and expectations that come with a transfer fee that size. Overall, his stint at United has had a Memphis Depay kind of feel.
That’s definitely not a good thing.
Hopefully, he figures it all out and gets it right. This season is probably Last Chance Saloon for him.
However, you did see what Ten hag was able to do with Marcus Rashford this past season, so there is every reason for hope that he can do the same with Sancho, who appears to be in great physical shape right now, and always possessed the skill sets and talents required to succeed.
While we don’t know if Sancho will be fringe or not in 2023-24, one player who certainly will be is Harry Maguire. Barring a total injury crisis in central defense, we’ll never see him feature in a meaningful match for United again.
Today he had a ‘it was the best of times, it was the worst of time’ kind of outing as he registered an assist by heading a long ball from the left side of the penalty area across to Facundo Pellistri, who leveled the score in Dublin today just before the referee blew the final whistle.
However, he also made a horrific giveaway that led to an easy goal for Nico Williams and that put Athletic Bilbao up 1-0 to begin with.
As the ESPN announcers pointed out, Maguire was booed by his own fans at this match. That is nothing new, but where does the former captain go this summer? Can United find a suitor and strike a deal before deadline day?
West Ham is/was interested but there seems to be an impasse about the transfer fee.
According to Give Me Sport, Wolverhampton Wanderers are keen, so maybe Wolves will be the escape route? Finally, getting back to Pellistri, maybe there is a place for him in the team this season?
Perhaps the 21-year-old Uruguayan will be a part of the cup competition squads in 2023-24
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.