The headlines from Manchester United’s pre-season win over Atletico Madrid will belong to JJ Gabriel’s debut on the right of their attack — but one of the positives Michael Carrick can take away is how well-equipped United look in that department.
Manchester United put in a convincing and spirited, if flawed, performance to come from behind and beat Atletico Madrid 2-1 in their third pre-season fixture, against the toughest opponents they have faced so far. As well as 15-year-old Gabriel’s cameo, with the teenager playing outside of his usual position in that role, three of United’s attackers who can play on the right showed why they stand to benefit from a return to European football and the chance to compete for their roles across a busier season.
Last season was complicated for United’s right-wingers. Nobody had the chance to play as an orthodox right-winger until Ruben Amorim’s exit in January. By the time Carrick took the helm and moved from a wing-back system to a more straightforward front three, there was only half of the season left for anyone to try to build consistency in the role after having adapted to a different position.
Amad and Bryan Mbeumo shared the spot, but the former struggled to find the goal threat he had shown in the previous campaign, and Carrick put the latter’s versatility to use, playing him across the forward line. Mbeumo’s output was impressive, but the chopping and changing between positions stopped him from truly making one his own, and also did not help Amad find consistency.
The picture will be very different with Champions League football. Having played only 40 games last season, United will play at least 48 this term, and that could rise to over 60 if they go on deep runs in all competitions — something that is far from guaranteed, but feels much more likely than at this stage last year. That gives Amad and Mbeumo the opportunity to both play enough to build a rhythm, and for Shea Lacey, who shone in Stockholm, to put pressure on them both.
Mbeumo led the line as the No 9 in Sweden, with Joshua Zirkzee on the bench, while Amad returned for the first time in pre-season, after his World Cup campaign with Ivory Coast, to start on the right. United were kept at bay throughout the first half after conceding early to Arnau Ortiz. It was a reminder of what Mbeumo needs to be at his most effective as a striker: in the first half, he struggled to make an impact in congested areas and was visibly frustrated at times. In the second half, courtesy of a penalty kick won by Lacey and converted by Mbeumo, Atletico were forced to venture out more, and he looked more threatening with more space to operate.
Speaking to ManUtd.com after the match, Mbeumo expressed little preference between the two positions: “I can’t really choose! I have done great things on the right wing, but obviously some good things as a striker.” That is a fair summary, and the increased match calendar should allow him to reflect that, with enough games to grow into his full potential on the right while sometimes deputising for Benjamin Sesko up top.
Bryan Mbeumo scored twice against Atletico (Michael Campanella/Getty Images)
A return to Europe will also benefit Amad, whose reinvention as a wing-back under Amorim became moot under Carrick and who then struggled to re-find his best form when competing with Mbeumo. European matches could allow him to make the most of his pace and dribbling, with less emphasis on physicality (which is not always his strong point), and build confidence. The knack for nipping past players and burning into attacking areas has been one of his strengths. In Stockholm, that ability only really showed in brief glimpses — but there were some neat interchanges with Leny Yoro on the right, and it was his pressure to win back the ball on the byline which started a move that almost saw Mbeumo head home from a Lacey cross. His development as a front-footed defender is a valuable asset.
As for Lacey, could United’s return to Europe open the door for him to truly break into the first-team fold? The 19-year-old did so briefly while Amad and Mbeumo were at the Africa Cup of Nations in winter. After a red card for a second booking against Brighton & Hove Albion in the FA Cup in January — which left him visibly distraught — he did not play for the first team again until the final day of the season.
He was one of United’s best players in Stockholm, using his wiry strength and technique to turn away from defenders and kickstart attacks from the No 10 role. But he featured as a right-winger last season, and those tendencies were evident from him drifting wide, looking to create overloads and crossing opportunities. Shortly before the half-hour mark, he created one of United’s best opportunities, nipping away from defenders on the right-hand side of the penalty area and whipping in a cross that Mbeumo headed just wide.
Drawing definitive conclusions from pre-season is foolish — but Lacey has shown his close control, pace, and scored an excellent goal in the previous friendly against Rosenborg. For a small player, he stood up well to the physicality of Atletico. His game needs refining, but he appears to be one of the closest academy players to a first-team breakthrough. With more minutes to share around, this season is an opportunity for him to remain around the senior picture.
Last season, Carrick had the unenviable task of divvying up minutes across a bare-bones schedule. A return to the Champions League can have the opposite effect of stretching a squad thin — but on the right of attack, at least, a picture of healthy competition is taking shape.