Manchester United Lose 1-0 to Bayern Munich in Pre-Season Finale

Bayern Munich beat Manchester United 1-0 in both clubs' final pre-season friendly at the Allianz Arena on Sunday.

The Bundesliga champions dominated the match but had to wait until the second half to break the deadlock. Javi Martinez was the match-winner, as he headed home a corner on 59 minutes.

Bayern continued to have the better of the match but could not add to their lead. Jose Mourinho's men barely threatened throughout the 90 minutes and were deservedly beaten in their final encounter before they open their Premier League campaign against Leicester City on Friday.

Man United and Bayern Munich Both Lacking in Attack

Both teams struggled to carve out clear goalscoring chances in what was a less-than-thrilling encounter in Germany. 

Bayern dominated the match but needed a set piece to open the scoring. Even then, the goal was more about United's poor defending than incisive attacking play.

Martinez got the better of Ander Herrera and managed to head home at the near post.

Bayern had other chances but could not add to their tally. Franck Ribery, Robert Lewandowski and Leon Goretzka were all guilty of missing chances as Bayern lacked a cutting edge.

Manchester United were worse and offered practically nothing as an attacking force despite starting with an attacking trio of Alexis Sanchez, Marcus Rashford and Juan Mata.

Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer was a virtual spectator for the entire 90 minutes as United failed to register a single shot on target. Journalist Tom McDermott offered his view:

The Red Devils open their Premier League campaign on Friday and will need to offer far more going forward if they are to take anything from the game.

Bailly and Lindelof Stake Claim to Be United’s Centre-Back Pairing

Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof were paired together at centre-back and put in an impressive showing as they held Bayern at bay in the first half.

Samuel Luckhurst at the Manchester Evening News was impressed:

Bailly went off after picking up a knock early in the second half, and without the Ivorian on the pitch, United conceded.

Manchester United have been heavily linked with defenders in this transfer window and are preparing an offer for Harry Maguire, per Sky Sports News.

The club also remain interested in Tottenham Hotspur's Toby Alderweireld, per Simon Mullock at the Sunday Mirror. 

Both players would add strength to Manchester United's defensive line, but Lindelof and Bailly have shown they deserve a chance in the team.

World Cup Woes Have Not Affected De Gea

Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea is widely regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world.

However, he endured a tough time at the 2018 FIFA World Cup with Spain and was guilty of some uncharacteristic errors which saw him come in for criticism.

De Gea showed no signs the events in Russia had affected him, as he put in his customary assured performance against Bayern.

He had little chance with the goal but managed to get in the way of everything else that was thrown at him by Niko Kovac's side.

This is a performance by United that left plenty of question marks over the team ahead of the new season. However, De Gea showed he's ready to pick up where he left off for the Red Devils.