Man Utd win on debut day of new player Hojlund

$83 million striker Rasmus Hojlund made his Old Trafford debut but did not play due to injury, when Man Utd beat Lens 3-1 in a friendly on August 5.

*Goals: Rashford 48', Antony 53', Casemiro 59' - Sotoca 23'.

Man Utd received bad news before the match when new signing Hojlund was diagnosed with an injury he suffered while playing for Atalanta. The 20-year-old striker is expected to need a few weeks of rest before he can play, so in the "Red Devils" debut at Old Trafford today, he was not registered to play.

Man Utd's sadness continued into the match, when another new signing, Mason Mount, wasted a chance to tap the ball into the net from a near-empty goal in the 15th minute. Eight minutes later, it was the turn of new signing Andre Onana to pick the ball out of the net from Florian Sotoca's shot in the middle of the field. However, the Cameroonian goalkeeper was not at fault because it was defender Diogo Dalot who carelessly passed the ball to help the visitors score.

Hojlund made his Man Utd debut at Old Trafford, Manchester, England on August 5, 2023. Photo: MUFC — Hojlund made his Man Utd debut at Old Trafford, Manchester, England on August 5, 2023. Photo: *MUFC*

Coach Erik ten Hag made no changes in the second half, but Man Utd still scored three goals in the 15 minutes after the break . The attacking trio of Alejandro Garnacho, Antony and Marcus Rashford all had their say in these goals.

Antony shone first with a break down the right and then passed the ball to Rashford who broke the offside trap and rushed into the penalty area. The English striker shot diagonally, hitting the Lens defender's leg and changing direction into the net. Five minutes later, it was Rashford's turn to release the ball for Garnacho to rush up the left. The Argentine midfielder passed to the right of the penalty area for Antony to shoot in an open position into the net. In the 59th minute, Luke Shaw crossed the ball from the left for Rashford to head the ball past Casemiro into the net. All three of Man Utd's goals were a bit shaky, but did not diminish the joy of the Old Trafford audience.

Antony opened the scoring. Photo: MUFC — Antony opened the scoring. Photo: *MUFC*

The two-goal lead was safe enough for Ten Hag to experiment in the remaining minutes. Jadon Sancho replaced Garnacho in midfield, with Mount moving to the left. Later, 19-year-old midfielder Omari Forson also made his first-team debut at Old Trafford, replacing Antony. The second half was played at a slow pace, with the home side trying to keep the ball and play slowly.

Man Utd will play another friendly against Athletic Bilbao in Dublin, Ireland on August 6, but it will only be for young players. Ten Hag's team will start the new Premier League season 2023-2024 against Wolverhampton on the evening of August 14.