Memphis Depay opened his Manchester United account as the Red Devils ran out comfortable 3-1 winners against San Jose.
Depay opens account
All the talk pre-match had been about Louis van Gaal’s cryptic comments about a deal in the works to sign a “mystery” striker. But it was the recently signed Memphis Depay that showed he has all the tools to assist with the goalscoring load at Old Trafford this season. Despite still developing chemistry with his new teammates, in particular strike partner Wayne Rooney, Depay showed a sense for goal that will encourage United fans. The Dutchman looked to have opened his United account as he came within a whisker of deflecting Juan Mata’s goal-bound chip into the back of the net for United’s opener. In the end, Mata was credited with the goal that could have easily been awarded to his Dutch teammate. However, Depay did not have to wait long to get another chance, after he stole possession following some awful defensive play from San Jose and calmly slotted the ball into the net for United’s second. The goal, as well as the solid run out with veterans Rooney, Mata and Young, should give the youngster’s burgeoning confidence another boost.
United midfield takes shape
Long an area of weakness, United now look full of options in the centre of midfield. Michael Carrick and Morgan Schneiderlin opened the game with the ‘first teamers’ in the first half. Despite the poor defensive effort from the Frenchman that allowed San Jose in behind for their goal, Schneiderlin and Carrick demonstrated they are more than capable of forming United’s first choice pairing in the middle of the park this season. The second half combination of Bastian Schweinsteiger and Ander Herrera controlled the tempo of the game, recycling possession and picking out teammates with an efficiency that would have impressed van Gaal. The veteran manager will be spoilt for choice when selecting his starting XI for the season opener against Spurs.
United’s young guns get run out
Never afraid to promote youth, van Gaal unsurprisingly used the match as an opportunity to get a good look at a few of United’s brightest young talents. United’s XI in the second half featured the exciting prospects of Adnan Januzaj, Andreas Pereira, James Wilson, Jesse Lingard, Tyler Blackett and Paddy McNair. Despite a nice combination from Lingard and Pereira for United’s second goal, the young brigade failed to make much of a mark on what was a fairly pedestrian second half. The best performance from a United youngster came from first half starter Luke Shaw. The Englishman had an inconsistent and injury-riddled first campaign in Manchester but looked every bit the £27 million talent United signed from Southampton 12 months ago. Shaw’s overlapping runs and combination with Ashley Young on United’s left flank should give fans plenty of encouragement that the youngster is capable of having a much more consistent impact in his second season in Old Trafford.
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