All of the Dutchmen's four summer signings made their debuts as the Red
Devils picked up a pre-season win over Club America in the International
Champions Cup
This time last year, Louis van Gaal took charge of his first game as Manchester United manager, just 12 days after guiding the Netherlands to a third place finish at the World Cup in Brazil.
Preparations
were not ideal. Luke Shaw and Ander Herrera had been signed, but not
identified as recruits by the Dutchman and both started against the LA
Galaxy in the International Champions Cup. Danny Welbeck was amongst the
scorers and young debutant Reece James struck twice. Despite the
hurried nature of Van Gaal's arrival, United won 7-0.
Fast
forward 12 months and much has changed for United. Van Gaal recognised
the weaknesses in his squad after a season in charge and moved quickly
to rectify them this summer, signing Memphis Depay, Bastian
Schweinsteiger, Morgan Schneiderlin and Matteo Darmian.
Welbeck
has gone, as has Darren Fletcher, who also played on that day in
Pasadena last year. Transfer deadline day signing Falcao has departed,
reduced to little more than a bit-part role during a season-long loan at
Old Trafford. Even Robin van Persie, Van Gaal’s compatriot, has
followed Nani et al out of the exit door.
And while
United failed to put seven past Club America, Van Gaal will be just as
pleased with a 1-0 victory in Seattle and the contributions of his new
signings on their first outings for the club.
Van Gaal’s influence on United is more evident than ever before. Depay is a player he nurtured at international level, while Schweinsteiger was an almost ever-present during his time playing for the Dutchman at Bayern.
The new-look United was very much on display in Seattle, with Depay, Schneiderlin and Darmian all featuring in the opening 45 minutes, while Schweinsteiger came on for the second half.
Schneiderlin marked his first appearance with a looping headed goal after just five minutes and Depay, while largely anonymous on his debut for the club, displayed a small glimpse of what might be to come this season, playing in Rooney with a deft one-touch pass which the striker blasted wide.
United took on a more youthful look in the second half with the likes of Adnan Januzaj, Andreas Pereira, James Wilson, and Jesse Lingard all introduced.
But the presence and performance of the 30-year-old Schweinsteiger shone through, just days after he completed his move to United and caught a plane to the USA with his new team-mates.
Schweinsteiger’s class, discipline and experience were evident in his first 45 minutes for his new club. When United had the ball he sat in the deepest position in midfield, dictating the shape and tempo of his side much in the same way as Michael Carrick, whom he replaced. He threaded passes together and allowed the younger players in front of him to express themselves.
Van Gaal has been heavily involved in both transfer activity and preparations for this pre-season tour. It was he who picked the club’s two bases in the USA, keen to reduce travel-related fatigue and the need for his squad to adjust to a number of different time zones.
He knows all too well, however, that his work is not yet done. He has acknowledged that United need to strengthen in two more positions this summer, while the matter of David de Gea’s future remains unresolved.
Questions regarding De Gea’s future have been dismissed as “stupid” by Van Gaal but his absence from proceedings, attributed by the Dutchman to a minor training ground injury prior to this game, will only cast further doubt over the goalkeeper’s position at the club. Real Madrid’s signing of Espanyol keeper Kiko Casillo complicates the issue further.
Injury or no injury, this was not a game in which De Gea was needed. There may still be plenty of work to do behind the scenes, but on the pitch, the signs for Van Gaal and United are encouraging.
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