Man City 1-1 Man Utd: Can Bayern Munich pair Matthijs de Ligt and Nasser Mazraoui solve 'problems'

Manchester United's coach, Erik ten Hag, mentioned some issues with injuries in his team when he stated "it’s obvious we are facing challenges" following their defeat to Manchester City in the Community Shield on penalties.

Ten Hag understands that the problem is not just with one player, so Manchester United is working on finalizing deals to bring in both Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui from Bayern Munich in the coming days.

United were on the verge of winning the Community Shield against Manchester City, following their recent FA Cup victory over the same team. However, their hopes were crushed in a expected manner at the very last moment.

When Bernardo Silva jumped the highest at the far post, it caught everyone's attention. But the player he outpaced for the header was Facundo Pellistri, the forward from Uruguay. Pellistri had spent the second half of the previous season playing for the La Liga team Granada before joining the Copa America, where he played a role in his country's journey to the semi-finals.

Since Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia are still hurt, and despite Harry Amass performing well on the team's pre-season tour in the United States, he was not chosen. Pellistri was the only choice on the bench when Ten Hag decided to substitute Harry Maguire after an hour and move Lisandro Martinez back to his usual position in central defense.

United can brush off the harm done at Wembley. However, if the same issue arises when they kick off their Premier League season against Fulham at Old Trafford on Friday, they won't be able to make as many excuses.

This is why the club is getting closer to signing De Ligt and Mazraoui. Mazraoui, who usually plays as a right-back, represented Morocco as a left-back in the World Cup.

"I am unable to provide any updates at this time," responded Ten Hag when questioned about the new players joining the team and the potential departure of Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who was absent from Saturday's game. It is widely believed that he will be transferring to West Ham soon. "We will announce any news when we have it. For now, we will continue to focus on working with the squad we currently have."

It's evident that we face challenges that we need to address. The players must put in the effort to be ready, and the staff members need to do their part as well. By working together, we can establish a strong partnership.

Ten Hag mentioned after the recent 3-0 friendly defeat to Liverpool in South Carolina that United's new management is "enthusiastic" about making deals.

The new head of the organization, Omar Berrada, along with the person in charge of finding new talent, Dan Ashworth, and the person responsible for the technical aspects of the team, Jason Wilcox, all observed the events from the best seats in the stadium.

Nevertheless, it is evident that the 90-minute game, followed by penalties, was a short respite from the hectic summer we have been experiencing.

"I am happy with the new arrangement in the boardroom," Ten Hag mentioned. "We are collaborating well with each other."

Former Manchester United player Roy Keane shared on ITV: "It's important for United to keep their top players healthy. The United team is quite powerful, so if they can avoid injuries and keep everyone fit, I would feel optimistic about the upcoming season."

I believe the manager would have preferred to see a stronger performance to secure the win. With the players staying healthy, it is reasonable to expect United to be in contention for a top four spot.

Alejandro Garnacho only played for 31 minutes, but he had a massive influence on the game like no one else on the United team.

He created a chance for Marcus Rashford, who unfortunately missed his shot against the post with only City's goalkeeper Ederson left to beat.

The young player caused confusion for the City defense with his fast running and he believed he had secured the win with a powerful shot into the corner of the goal from outside the penalty area eight minutes before the match ended, following some impressive setup play from team captain Bruno Fernandes.

He made a good impact by scoring United's third penalty in a match that ended in a 7-6 shootout loss.

"Ten Hag praised Alejandro's performance," Ten Hag said. "He executed the plan just as we had expected. It's just a shame we couldn't finish the job."

Ten Hag also had good things to say about Rashford. However, there is a lingering feeling that he has not yet reached the level of performance that led him to score a record-breaking 30 goals for United in the 2022-23 season.

In addition to the missed chance he had, which he could have done a better job with, he did not present the same danger from his favored wide position as Garnacho did in a shorter amount of time. Eventually, he shifted back to the center-forward position, which Ten Hag believes he is not as impactful in.

"The manager of United said he found himself in advantageous positions multiple times."

I am thrilled to see him regularly getting into scoring positions. With his determination and consistent effort, he will continue to make those crucial movements and the team will benefit as well. Once he scores one goal, more will follow.

Keane stated: "He is a very talented player capable of making a big difference in the game. I have high expectations for him whenever he takes the field."

"In contrast, Marcus Rashford has displayed impressive scoring abilities, but he needs to work on becoming more precise and consistent."

We just want Marcus to return to his previous form, full of energy and outpacing other players like he used to, because we know he excels in that aspect.

The previous occasion Jadon Sancho stepped up to take a penalty at Wembley was during England's Euro 2020 loss to Italy in a shootout. Following the match, he faced racist attacks on social media.

He showed great courage by stepping up to take the fourth penalty for United, when they were leading 3-2 after Silva's shot was saved by United's keeper Andre Onana.

The 24-year-old player aimed towards the left of Ederson, the goalkeeper for City, but Ederson was able to touch the ball with his hand, sending it towards a post. The ball then bounced across the goal and ended up going out of play.

The captain of United, Bruno Fernandes, took the time to approach Sancho and offer his support. Ten Hag expressed his belief that the winger would rise to the occasion once more if needed.

"He's an excellent penalty taker and I had full confidence in letting him take one," stated Ten Hag. "I’m certain that he will continue to take penalties in the future."