Manchester United

We asked for your thoughts after Manchester United beat Real Betis in a pre-season friendly.

Here are some of your comments:

John: It genuinely feels like Groundhog Day. It’s one step forward with Amad Diallo and two steps back with injuries to Leny Yoro and Rasmus Hojlund - and potentially Rashford and Antony! I am encouraged by Amad, however I am remembering how good Anthony Martial looked every pre season for nine years!

Adam: Amad and Harry Amass are the bright sparks of the pre-season despite injuries to Yoro and Hojlund. Amad has to start and play more games otherwise Antony will cost Erik ten Hag his job. Amass should be competing for a starting left-back spot with Shaw given Tyrell Malacia is injury prone.

Christine: Youth is being given an opportunity at Manchester United - it feels a bit like the 'Class of '92'. More young players like Amad are grabbing their opportunity and giving other players something to think about. It feels exciting but teams are still scoring against us.

Antony: Looks like it's going to be another injury prone start to the season. What's going on at Man Utd? Who is responsible for the physical wellbeing of the players, and doesn't this prove that pre season touring is just not worth the risks involved?

Steven: Not sure if the match, or any of these fixtures in fact, are there for us to 'learn' anything as fans. Our players need the minutes to get fit and Ten Hag needs to observe how different tactics and combinations work together. Frankly I don't care if we lose each game, so long as the plans have been worked out by Fulham. The media needs to calm down!

Image source, Getty Images

While Manchester United's growing injury list grabs headlines, Amad Diallo is making his case for an increased role this season.

The Ivorian has scored twice in United's four pre-season matches and also won a penalty for Marcus Rashford against Real Betis in the most recent friendly.

It is a continuation of the form he showed in the final months of 2023-24 and he seems hungry to get his Old Trafford career up and running.

But do you think he's ready to step up and make an impact, Manchester United fans?

Choose here

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

On Tuesday, Amad Diallo spoke of his desire to remain with Manchester United "for life".

There was certainly a purpose about his performance against Real Betis in San Diego.

It was Diallo's purposeful burst that brought United the penalty that allowed Marcus Rashford to level.

The 22-year-old is clearly full of confidence and his goal showed it as Harry Amass' left-wing cross bounced perfectly for the powerful drive into the bottom corner that followed.

Manager Erik ten Hag challenged Diallo at the start of this trip, declaring "this has to be his year".

Diallo seems to agree.

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester United goalkeeper Tom Heaton says team-mate Amad Diallo was "dynamite" in the pre-season victory against Real Betis.

Diallo won a penalty and scored against United's Spanish opponents, providing a constant threat before being withdrawn in the second half.

“Since I have been here his ability has been incredible." Heaton said on the Ivorian. "Now you see more confidence and more belief, he is getting more game time and can see his game coming together.”

Heaton started in goal for United against Betis but has not played a competitive game since February 2023. However, he told BBC Sport last week he hoped would get more opportunities this season.

Although he admitted responsibility for the opening goal, he still enjoyed playing in front of a crowd of over 20,000.

“Yes is the honest answer,” he said, when asked if it felt good to play. “It was fantastic to be out there. The feeling you get when you play is incredible. I love it.

“Other than bounce (practice) games it has been a while since I had a proper 90 minutes. It felt quick at times but I built into the game.”

Image source, Getty Images

After going behind, goals from Marcus Rashford, Amad Diallo and Casemiro helped the Red Devils hold off their Spanish opponents in San Diego.

What did you learn from this game, United fans?

Let us know your thoughts, external

Simon Stone in Los Angeles
Chief football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester United wide-man Amad Diallo got some advice from an unexpected source on his holidays this summer, after bumping into fellow Ivorian Yaya Toure in the Maldives.

Yaya Toure, his brother and fellow former Manchester City star Kolo Toure, and former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba, are three of the most influential Ivory Coast players of all time

And Amad was delighted Toure took the time to speak to him.

"Drogba and the Toure brothers are big legends from my country," the winger told BBC Sport. "This summer, I met Yaya Toure on holiday and he gave me some advice."

Amad was not keen on revealing the secrets of his conversation with the former Barcelona and Manchester City star, but he intends to use it to help him make more of an impact at Old Trafford this season.

"What is said is a secret," laughed Amad. "As a midfielder, he scored a lot of goals with City, so meeting him on holiday and talking with him was very important for me.

"He gave me some advice for the season, so let's see what happens."

Image source, Getty Images

The latest episode of BBC Radio Manchester's The Devils' Advocate podcast discusses the possibility of Manchester United building a new 100,000-seater stadium.

Our reporter Simon Stone explained earlier this week that the owners hope to make a final decision on whether to spend more than £2bn on a new stadium by the end of 2024.

Presenter Gaz Drinkwater: "This is Manchester United, the biggest club in the country, and we need a stadium that is an absolute behemoth and that looks like what they're trying to do.

"We sell out [Old Trafford] every game and there's still so many people on the season ticket waiting list. I think it [a new stadium] is fantastic - we'd sell it out every game. It'd be the jewel of the north - I am ecstatic.

"You don't just have it for Manchester United - it's a community asset, you would have a load of shops around it, you'd use it for gigs and you'd use it for other sporting events. It'd be somewhere that everyone in the north in 30 years' time will have been to."

However, no decisions have been made yet and how the stadium would be financed is one of the subjects that remains under discussion.

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

There is some scepticism from environmental campaigners about the Real Betis-inspired ‘The Greenest Game’ initiative around tonight’s pre-season encounter with Manchester United in San Diego.

Even Real Betis chief executive Ramon Alarcon admitted the club are trying to do something positive to counter the damage caused by flying to California in the first place.

Nevertheless, organisers claimed 65 volunteers set about working on the San Diego riverbed on Tuesday. Collectively, they said, over 500 pounds of rubbish were removed from the Mission Valley Preserve.

Read more on the initiative here

Simon Stone in Los Angeles
Chief football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester United star Amad Diallo says he wants to stay with the Old Trafford club for the rest of his life.

Amad's current contract expires next summer, although the club do have an option to extend for another year.

There have been suggestions over a new deal but, with the club willing to listen to offers for most of their first-team squad, the 22-year-old's future is not certain and contract talks are not due to take place until the transfer window has closed.

But - if the Ivory Coast international has his way - he knows what he wants to happen.

"Yes, why not?" he replied, when asked if he would like to extend his stay at the club. "I am very happy here and I think everyone is happy with me, because I smile with everyone and bring good energy.

"Why not stay here all my life?"

After successful loan stints at Sunderland and Rangers, Amad was hoping to make a positive impression at United last term - only for a knee injury sustained in pre-season to keep the £19m signing from Atalanta sidelined until the end of December.

That was a significant setback and then it took him until his last-gasp extra-time winner in the FA Cup quarter-final against Liverpool in March to convince manager Erik ten Hag that he was worth a regular place in his squad.

However, overcoming adversity and tricky situations is not unusual for Amad, given he left his native Africa for Italy when he was a child.

"My dream was to play football," he said. "I was born in Africa, but I left when I was young to go to Italy with my mum.

"I grew up there and I'm happy to be here now."

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

Image source, Getty Images

Players like Manchester United’s Rasmus Hojlund are already suffering from hamstring injuries two weeks before the season even starts - and they say the modern preparation regimes are better, safer and more scientific!

They probably are better. At least the players do not have to go through some of the borderline sadistic routines that previous generations did. Back then, after a decent length of summer break, pre-season meant working incredibly hard over a short period of time to get yourself back in top condition fast.

Sprinting up and down gigantic sand dunes against the clock until many players were physically sick was de rigueur, alongside other road runs and track work.

Here is the weird part: I used to look forward to that, the way a class swot looks forward to exams. Being smaller, lighter and a committed long-distance runner all my young life, even before I became a pro footballer, it was, if not exactly a piece of cake, then certainly much easier for me than most of the rest of the team.

I have asked many modern managers what they would prefer to do in a perfect world during their pre-season. The most common answer is "just about anything other than what we are forced to do now!"

Sign up to the Football Extra Newsletter here

Manchester United are working to reach an agreement with out-of-contract France midfielder Adrien Rabiot, 29, who left Juventus this summer. (Caughtoffside), external

United are expected to sign a replacement if they complete the sale of 27-year-old Scotland midfielder Scott McTominay, with Fulham set to make a new offer. (Football Insider), external

Tunisia winger Hannibal Mejbri is close to joining Rangers. The Scottish club want a loan deal but United would prefer a permanent exit for the 21-year-old. (Teamtalk), external

Want more transfer news? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

On this week's The Devils' Advocate podcast from BBC Radio Manchester, hosts Gaz Drinkwater and Joe McGrath discuss the latest on the future of Manchester United's stadium.

They also catch up with fans in the United States as the Red Devils continue their pre-season tour and chat about injuries, after Rasmus Hojlund and Leny Yoro came off in the defeat by Arsenal.

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Image source, Getty Images

Pat Nevin, former Chelsea, Everton and Scotland winger writing in his Football Extra newsletter:

The pre-season friendlies are in full swing and let's be straight about this, the players generally hate these games, whatever they say.

They clearly haven't had enough rest in the summer, it is a grind getting your body back into peak shape, especially if the accumulated injuries from last season haven’t been allowed to fully recover.

The games themselves are weird affairs, where you would like to win but that is nowhere near the most important thing. Fitness, integrating new players, possibly a new manager and sometimes a new system are each more important. You also know full well that it is a hotch-potch of a team selection to give players minutes. The fans, mass media and social media will read far too much into every game and every performance.

From within the team itself, there are different motivations. A young or new player being given his first chance will be racing about like an overexcited spaniel. Other experienced players will be easing themselves back into it, the primary concern in their minds is to be fit and healthy come the first weekend of the Premier League season.

‌Deep down they don't worry if they get thumped by Celtic or DC United on their US tours, nobody at Chelsea or Aston Villa will remember or care about these results in two weeks' time.

‌Unless of course you are a DC or indeed Celtic fan. The Celts just beat Chelsea and Man City. Now that is impressive pre-season form or is that just Scottish bias.

Sign up to the Football Extra Newsletter here

Simon Stone in Los Angeles
Chief football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

West Ham are interested in signing full-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Manchester United.

Julen Lopetegui is keen to add a quality right-back to his squad and have agreed a fee with Bayern Munich for Morocco international Noussair Mazraoui.

However, they have been unable to conclude a deal as Erik ten Hag's side have also expressed an interest in the 26-year-old.

If Mazraoui joined the Old Trafford outfit, the Red Devils would be open to letting Wan-Bissaka leave.

The former Crystal Palace player has a year left on his contract and sources had suggested a preference on Wan-Bissaka's part to wait before assessing his options.

However, his stance may be softening which could lead to a deal being done.

Wan-Bissaka, 26, has made 190 appearances for United since joining the club from the Eagles for £50m in 2019.

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter in Los Angeles

Image source, Getty Images

Is there anyone out there who thinks the modern day Premier League footballer just goes out to play?

Watching Bournemouth, Arsenal and Manchester United train and play in Los Angeles over the past week or so, the number of backroom staff around has been amazing.

Some information via United explains why.

The club's physical performance team has been assessing each individual player's fuelling and hydration during their pre-season tour.

Fluid loss has been measured using sweat patches. The results are then analysed to help identify the best hydration strategy for each individual player.

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Complications in renovating the 74,310-capacity Old Trafford, which has been Manchester United’s home since 1910, include a railway line at the back of the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand and having to significantly reduce capacity during building works, causing inconvenience to fans and a major loss of revenue.

Unlike Tottenham, who played at Wembley while their £1.2bn stadium was being completed, United have no obvious alternative ground to use.

The club want something in keeping with their roots in an industrial city and it is anticipated the statues around the current stadium would be relocated to any new ground.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants local and national government to play some part in funding the overall project although, realistically, that is likely to involve transport links.

Exactly how the stadium would be financed is one of the subjects still under discussion.

At current exchange rates, United’s present debt is £647.5m, excluding outstanding transfer fee payments, made up of $650m (£504.5m) historic debt as a legacy of the Glazer family takeover in 2005 and £143m from a rolling credit facility.

Read more on the club's stadium plans here