Manchester United: 6 Things We Learned from Preseason Friendlies

Following almost three months of cold turkey-style weaning, Manchester United will make their long awaited return to Premier League action this weekend.

Many are of the impression that preseason friendlies have little or no significance to a team’s success during the regular campaign, and while I’d be tempted to disagree, it really doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things.

However, whether a side’s warm-up fixtures affect its performances for the rest of the year, every squad can learn a lesson or two from these “meaningless” matches.

United’s DHL tour has seen them compete in the altitudes of South Africa, the fan-ridden climates of China and even the far-off colds of Sweden.

All in all, the club’s travels were a success, but there are both positives and negatives to take away from the campaign.

With that in mind, here are six things that Sir Alex Ferguson can mull over before his team kicks off its new season.

Shinji Kagawa Can Be a United Success Story

As United’s only major signing of the summer months, a lot of pressure currently resides on the shoulders of Shinji Kagawa to perform well in his new surroundings—and he isn’t disappointing.

The 23-year-old finished the DHL tour as the Red Devils’ joint top-scorer along with Wayne Rooney, both pitching in with two goals.

Kagawa was brought to the club after United experienced a distinct lack of playmaking talent in the 2011-12 campaign following injuries to Tom Cleverley and Darren Fletcher.

As he did to such a high standard at Borussia Dortmund, Kagawa will feature prominently in that space behind the strikers more commonly known as “The Hole.”

The youngster is already showing his worth in attack and his instinct to get forward was on display for all to see in his game-winning goal against Hannover over the weekend.

Should Manchester United fail to make any more summer signings, Kagawa would be looked upon as one of the most important players in bringing the Premier League title back to the club and he’s already showing the calm demeanor necessary to deal with it.

Youth Academy Factory Line in Full Swing

With a raft of injuries currently blighting the club, Sir Alex Ferguson was forced to go through preseason without a number of his first-team stars.

The summer period started off with, believe it or not, just Rio Ferdinand as the only regular starter who was fit and ready to play.

However, United's young players certainly pounced on the absences and a number of players staked their claim to feature amongst their mentors when the regular season commences.

Among the starlets, Scott Wootton, Robbie Brady, Tyler Blackett, Nick Powell, Ryan Tunnicliffe and a host of other youngsters were very impressive in their senior roles.

Although many might not be called upon when the first-team squad is back to full fitness, Ferguson can rest easy knowing that his side’s regular factory line of emerging talent is in safe hands.

New Tactics Will Take Time

Although many say that preseason means little, it doesn’t stop every fan, pundit or player from wanting the summer months to go as smoothly as is humanly possible.

While United were unbeaten (in normal time) on the DHL tour, a great side is a humble one that can find faults even in their successes.

As such, the Premier League giants will have to appreciate that the new tactics being utilized amongst the team will take time to develop.

With a bulk of new players to try out, Ferguson and Mike Phelan chose to implement a variety of new formations in a time when results matter least.

Shinji Kagawa’s arrival left room to try out formations using a sole attacker while Robbie Brady, a winger by nature, was tried out in the left-back position.

At times, it didn’t seem as if all was going as swimmingly as the squad would want, but it’s vital that the players and manager alike accept these obstacles and work to move past them rather than reverting to old, stale tactics.

History would seem to dictate that there will be some more transfer business at Old Trafford before August is out, and supporters of the club will need to be patient as fresh assets graft into their new surroundings.

Goalkeeping Battle Will Continue

With Ben Amos now at Hull City, David de Gea and Anders Lindegaard are free to resume their battle for the No.1 jersey that began last season.

De Gea arrived at the club last summer and was inevitably lambasted for his shortcomings in physical presence and aerial strength.

The Spaniard’s failings meant that Anders Lindegaard was handed his shot in between the posts and did well for a period before De Gea returned for the campaign’s final stretch.

De Gea, the younger of the two, made his way to United’s preseason tour slightly late but put in a solid shift against Barcelona, only to concede within minutes of coming on against Hannover.

That being said, Lindegaard conceded the first goal against the Germans and showed signs of weakness when it came to shot-stopping.

While the keeping situation is far from ideal for Ferguson, both stoppers are adamant in their argument for the starting spot and are bound to struggle against one another for the foreseeable future.

Former Outcasts Could Be Handed Fresh Starts

As much as preseason is about young unknowns getting their chance amongst the big guns, it’s also about old faces being handed their shots at redemption.

For United, this was an opportunity for the strikers to prove that they’re still capable of making an impression in the red of Manchester United.

The likes of Bébé and Federico Macheda were both on the scoresheet at some point or another despite having relatively non-existent careers at Old Trafford for the past season or so.

Dimitar Berbatov also featured on the tour, albeit in a less prominent sense.

Macheda spent a fairly uneventful second half of last season at QPR while Bébé was loaned out to Besiktas—a deal that was cut short after the youngster broke curfew.

And, as we know, Berbatov has been left to wallow at Manchester United, even going as far to plead for a move away from the club on Facebook.

That being said, all three of the attackers, who have shown great potential at one time or another, featured well on the DHL tour and held a fairly good account of themselves with any playing time they did get.

As a result, Ferguson may think about keeping a few of these names around this season rather than see them playing elsewhere.

United Can Cope with Injuries

As was touched upon in a previous slide, Manchester United are currently with a great deal of injured players at the moment, particularly in defense.

Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Johnny Evans are all currently sidelined for various periods, some of which run up until October.

In true United fashion, the Reds trudged on regardless and utilized a mixture of youth and existing stars to balance out their inadequacies.

Manchester City showed last season that when Vincent Kompany picked up an injury, things looked far bleaker and less assured than when he was present.

Their bitter rivals can feel safer knowing that if Rio Ferdinand were to pick up a characteristic injury, there are those able to step into the position, and while they may not have the same talent yet, they’re showing glimpses of the kind of potential desired.

Darren Fletcher is soon to make his return to first-team football (via BBC) after spending nearly 12 months out due to illness and Nemanja Vidic’s comeback from a severe knee twist will put nothing but smiles on the faces of United’s followers.