Man Utd let down by three players as Ten Hag shown what he’s missing in Lyon win

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag’s main transfer priority could not be clearer after Jadon Sancho and two others struggled to impress in Wednesday’s narrow pre-season victory against Lyon. Donny van de Beek’s well-struck volley just after the interval proved to be the difference in Edinburgh, with the Red Devils once again fielding entirely different sides in each half of the match.

Ten Hag decided to start with a young United team against Lyon, with many of their senior players unavailable to feature until next week’s US tour gets underway. There were a handful of first-team stars on the pitch at Murrayfield, though, with the likes of Antony, Mason Mount and Raphael Varane among those getting a run out.

Sancho was also selected by Ten Hag but the 23-year-old was once again deployed in an unfamiliar position at the very tip of United’s attacking trident. He was asked to do the same job against Leeds earlier this month but failed to impress in a central role and did not exactly set the world alight while facing Lyon on Wednesday.

The England ace started brightly as he fed Antony in the early stages to put the Brazilian winger clean through on goal, but the latter’s tame effort was easily saved by Lyon stopper Anthony Lopes. Not much else seemed to come off for Sancho, though, and it was clear to see that he was being forced into playing a position that did not come naturally to him.

He often struggled to make the best possible runs in the final third of the pitch, where a genuine striker would likely have fared better at getting into the right areas to receive the ball. It means that United’s biggest priority over the coming weeks should be to push through a move for Atalanta striker Rasmus Hojlund, who is known to be keenly admired by those in power at Old Trafford.

The Red Devils are widely reported to be in advanced talks over a potential transfer fee, with The Independent claiming that a deal could be struck for around £60million in the not-too-distant future. The addition of Hojlund would undoubtedly boost United’s options in attack, while it would also allow Sancho to return to his usual wide role in a move that would seemingly benefit all parties.

United’s other forwards also struggled to impress against Lyon, with Antony and Amad Diallo wasting a couple of gilt-edged chances in the opening 45 minutes. The former came under scrutiny for his lack of end product at times last season and will be desperate to improve over the coming weeks after yet another underwhelming performance in front of goal on Wednesday.

Amad was also guilty of failing to take his chances and should arguably have scored twice but spurned the opportunities that came his way before he was hooked by Ten Hag at the break. His muted showing will have done little to justify a place in United’s first-team setup this season, with another loan move elsewhere likely to serve as the best course of action for his development as a player.

Want the latest Premier League news as we publish it on Express Sport? Join our Facebook group by clicking here.