Football General Manager
- Red Devils lift Summer Series despite Everton draw
- Mbeumo impresses on his debut
- Mount & Fernandes find the net
United couldn’t sign off their pre-season tour of the US with a third win out of three but they still took the trophy after an entertaining match against Everton which showed the exciting things the team are capable of producing in attack but also served as a reminder that they are still a work in progress.u0026nbsp;
With new signing Bryan Mbeumo making his debut, United played some high-octane football in the first half and took the lead with a penalty from Bruno Fernandes after Amad Diallo had been felled by James Tarkowski following a lightning-quick transition. United had threatened to score earlier in the game but Matheus Cunha lacked the cutting edge from inside the box.
Ruben Amorim’s side were thrilling to watch on the break but, unlike in their previous wins in the Summer Series against West Ham and Bournemouth, they looked vulnerable at the back. Jake O’Brien hit the post for Everton before Fernandes’ opener after sloppy goalkeeping from Altay Bayindir and the Toffees soon equalised through the excellent Iliman Ndiaye, who pounced in the area seconds after Manuel Ugarte had been robbed of the ball.
Substitute Mount put a much-changed United side back in front in the second half at the Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta but Everton came right back at them and levelled through a bizarre own goal, the ball deflecting into the net off Ayden Heaven after Amad had tried to cut out a cross.
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Mount produced a moment of class to put United back in front, controlling a pass from Fernandes and then switching on to his right foot and curling into the far bottom corner. The strike was reminiscent of Mount’s stunning first goal against Athletic Club last season and was a timely reminder of his ability to conjure something magical from thin air. His position in the squad might have looked undermined by the signings of Cunha and Mbeumo but the player who Amorim has declared his love for showed he can still have an important role in the team.
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Mbeumo had an encouraging debut, linking up well with Cunha and Fernandes with some slick passing moves. And yet he failed to mark his first game with a goal as he fired straight at Jordan Pickford after the England No. 1 had spilled a shot from Fernandes into the new man’s path.u0026nbsp;
Cunha sparkled in the first half and really should have given United an early lead but he toe-poked the ball wide, albeit from a tight angle, when he faced down Pickford. The Brazilian has only been at the club for a couple of weeks but he already has a strong understanding with Fernandes and with Amad, who he kept releasing down the right flank.
Everton’s Carlos Alcaraz, who completed a permanent move this summer after joining on loan from Flamengo in January, was left red-faced when he accidentally nicked the ball from team-mate Beto inside the area just as he was about to fire at goal in the second half.
Amorim didn’t try any experiments here and every player he picked either from the start or off the bench was already well-known to fans. Leny Yoro, however, stood out and gave another demonstration that he is going to handsomely pay off his big transfer fee. The 19-year-old Frenchman played on the front foot, dancing around Everton players in the opposing box as well as starting several transitions by swiftly working the ball out from defence.
The Red Devils bid farewell to the United States after a successful third tour in a row but their pre-season preparations are not quite done yet. They face Fiorentina at Old Trafford next Saturday, when they will welcome David de Gea back to the Theatre of Dreams. u0026nbsp;Eight days later the real action begins with a mouthwatering season opener at home to Arsenal. It’s a daunting curtain raiser for sure but the performances United have put in over the Summer Series against Premier League opposition mean they should have nothing to fear when they take on Mikel Arteta’s side.
