Joshua Zirkzee was on target alongside some youngsters as Manchester United bounced back from Wrexham defeat to thrash Rosenborg 5-0 in their second pre-season encounter.
It was an impressive response to their disappointing defeat against Wrexham earlier in the week, with Michael Carrick’s youthful side delivering an attacking masterclass.
Despite being without several first-team stars who were still on extended leave following the FIFA World Cup, United’s academy graduates stepped up brilliantly.
Shea Lacey, Joshua Zirkzee, Jacob Devaney, Harry Amass and Ethan Williams all found the net as the Red Devils dominated from start to finish. Zirkzee was the standout performer, contributing a stunning solo goal and an assist in one of United’s most complete performances of pre-season.
Manchester United started brightly and controlled possession throughout the opening half. Their patient build-up play and aggressive pressing kept Rosenborg pinned inside their own half.
The Premier League team created several promising opportunities before finally breaking the deadlock in the 31st minute. The opening goal came through highly-rated academy midfielder Shea Lacey who made it 1-0.
The teenager timed his run perfectly before calmly finishing from close range after excellent attacking play. Joshua Zirkzee provided the final pass, rewarding United’s dominance with a deserved lead.
Lacey’s intelligent movement and creativity in the No. 10 role were among the biggest positives of the first half as he constantly caused problems for the Norwegian defence.
Rosenborg attempted to respond before the break, but Manchester United’s defence remained well organised, limiting the hosts to very few meaningful chances.
The Red Devils returned for the second half with even greater intensity and doubled their advantage in spectacular fashion in the 56th minute 2-0.
Joshua Zirkzee produced the moment of the match with a breathtaking solo effort. Receiving the ball just outside the penalty area, the Dutch forward skipped past two defenders with clever footwork before rounding the goalkeeper and calmly slotting into an empty net.
The goal completely shifted the momentum in Manchester United’s favour and left Rosenborg struggling to contain the visitors’ relentless attacking play.
United continued to attack after Zirkzee’s moment of brilliance and effectively ended the contest with two goals in just a couple of minutes. Substitute Jacob Devaney made an immediate impact by scoring United’s third goal shortly after coming off the bench in the 63rd minute
Although Rosenborg appealed for a possible handball during the build-up, the goal stood, giving the visitors a commanding three-goal advantage.
Only two minutes later, Harry Amass got on the scoresheet to make it 4-0. The young full-back joined the attack at the perfect moment and confidently finished another flowing United move which resulted in a goal.
Manchester United rounded off the scoring late in the minutes through Ethan Williams. The winger finished off another well-worked team move to complete the match 5-0 against their opponent.
Jaydan Kamason played an important role in the build-up to several of United’s attacking moves as Carrick’s substitutes continued to impress. While Zirkzee’s stunning goal grabbed the headlines, the biggest talking point was the quality shown by Manchester United’s young players.
Lacey looked composed throughout the first half, Devaney made an instant impact from the bench, Amass continued his impressive development with another confident display, and Williams showed excellent composure to complete the scoring.
Their performances demonstrated the strength of United’s academy and offered Carrick plenty of selection headaches ahead of the new season. Defensively, United were equally impressive.
They pressed aggressively, recovered possession quickly and restricted Rosenborg to very few clear-cut opportunities, ensuring they left Norway with a convincing clean sheet.
Although pre-season results should never be overestimated, the Red Devils will take confidence from this dominant display. The team looked far sharper than in their previous outing.
Zirkzee appears ready to play a key role in the upcoming campaign, while Lacey, Devaney, Amass and Williams all strengthened their cases for further first-team involvement.
Carrick will also be delighted by the team’s defensive discipline, which complemented an outstanding attacking performance. Their reaction to the match was far better than what they did against Wrexham.
Manchester United’s 5-0 victory over Rosenborg showed how well the Premier League side are working and shaping up ahead of the new season which they are expected to play Champions League football.