Manchester United continues the preparation process for the new season with a 2-1 victory over Atletico Madrid in a friendly match held in Sweden. Bryan Mbeumo shined with a double to help the "Red Devils" come back successfully, while 15-year-old prodigy JJ Gabriel had a memorable first-team debut.
Lacey continues to score points
Although Bruno Fernandes is almost certain to be the number one choice in the attacking midfielder position when the season officially kicks off, Shae Lacey still shows that he deserves to be given more opportunities.
The 19-year-old player was energetic behind Mbeumo, constantly creating breakthroughs with technical dribbling. Lacey was the one who brought the penalty to help Man United equalize, and also impressed with his confident ball handling and speed in one-on-one situations.
This performance continues to help the young midfielder score points in Carrick's eyes, especially when they will have to fight in both the Premier League and the Champions League.
Mason Mount revives
Another bright spot of Man United is Mason Mount. Being paired with Andrey Santos in midfield, the former Chelsea midfielder played outstandingly with the ability to connect between midfield and attack.
Mount continuously performed skillful turns, effective one-touch combinations and created rhythm for attacks. When Kobbie Mainoo and Youri Tielemans have not yet returned, the 27-year-old player is taking advantage of the opportunity to assert his role in the squad very well.
Signals about the future of some players
Carrick made two notable changes in the starting lineup when giving opportunities to Tom Heaton and Amad Diallo. Amad's return after the World Cup also helped Mbeumo be pushed up to play as a center forward and maximize his scoring ability.
Meanwhile, the fact that Radek Vitek and Joshua Zirkzee are not favored further fuels speculation about the future of both. Vitek is said to want to leave to look for a chance to start, while Zirkzee continues to be linked with Juventus and is only brought onto the field in the final minutes.
Goalkeeper Altay Bayindir may also say goodbye to Old Trafford when information appears that he has reached an agreement to join Celta Vigo.
The defense still has a lot to do
Despite winning, Carrick still has a lot to improve in defense. Atletico did not create many chances, but every time they approached the goal, they made it difficult for Man United.
In the opening goal conceded, Harry Maguire and Ayden Heaven both reacted slowly, while Tom Heaton also handled it unclearly. Although it was just a friendly match, this is still a signal that Man United's defense system needs more time to improve.
Good news for Carrick is that many key players such as Lisandro Martinez, Noussair Mazraoui and Diogo Dalot have not returned after the World Cup, promising to significantly increase the quality of the defense in the near future.
JJ Gabriel has a memorable debut
The highlight at the end of the match was JJ Gabriel's debut for the first team. The 15-year-old talent was brought onto the field by Carrick in the last 10 minutes and became one of the youngest players to ever wear the Man United shirt at the first team level.
Gabriel being kept to train with the first team instead of returning to the U21 team shows that the Man United coaching staff has high expectations for this young talent. If he continues to develop in the right direction, this may just be the beginning of Gabriel's long journey at Old Trafford.
