Man United played in a behind–closed-doors match shortly after their disappointing defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday, according to reports.
The Erik ten Hag era got off to the worst possible start at Old Trafford. United were downed 2-1 by Graham Potter’s side.
German midfielder Pascal Gross scored both goals for the Seagulls in the first half, who had 15 shots at David de Gea‘s goal across the 90 minutes.
Ex-Red Devils striker Danny Welbeck had an impressive game for Brighton – perhaps ironic given United’s current forward issues and the situation involving Cristiano Ronaldo.
To their credit, Ten Hag’s side improved in the second half as they piled on the pressure. And with 68 minutes on the clock, an Alexis MacAllister own goal gave them some hope of a comeback.
But it didn’t happen, and the Red Devils kicked off their 2022/23 season in the same way as they ended the last campaign – with defeat.
Man United organise ‘secret’ friendly after Brighton match
Just 24 hours after the Brighton game, United were back in action again. They took on National League side Halifax Town at Carrington, as reported by the Daily Mail.
The match ended with a 5-1 victory for Erik ten Hag’s side, with a number of senior players that didn’t feature against Brighton playing in the match.
They included Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Raphael Varane and Donny van de Beek.
In addition, Cristiano Ronaldo also reportedly started against the National League side. The 37-year-old played just once during pre-season, a 45-minute cameo against Rayo Vallecano. However, the headlines from that match were centred around off-pitch actions, with Ronaldo and team-mate Diogo Dalot leaving the stadium before the final whistle.
Ten Hag placed him on the bench at Old Trafford on Sunday. However, he was called into action early in the second half. However, the Portuguese legend could not inspire a comeback for his side.
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