Manchester United's pre-season preparations started with a 1-0 defeat to Norwegian side Rosenborg in their first friendly match. Erik ten Hag's men were outplayed in Trondheim, with the home team taking 22 shots and hitting the woodwork four times before Noah Holm's 93rd-minute strike sealed the victory.
Ten Hag, who started Marcus Rashford, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Jonny Evans, Mason Mount, and captain for the day Casemiro, did not mince words post-match. "Our performance as a team is by far not good enough," he told MUTV. "This is not the standard of top football."
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Rosenborg, currently in the midst of their domestic season, displayed superior fitness and match sharpness, dominating the game from the outset. United's young goalkeeper Radek Vitek was the standout performer, making six crucial saves to keep the scoreline respectable.
Reflecting on Vitek's display, Ten Hag said, "Let's say he got the opportunity from the team to make some very good saves - because our performance as a team is by far not good enough. I have seen this is not the standard for top football. Top football, you have to achieve much higher standards."
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Despite the disappointing performance, Ten Hag acknowledged the importance of these matches for fitness and preparation. "I know we can't be match fit in this moment; therefore, you need these games. I know we are playing an opponent who is in their league, they have a much higher fitness level. But still, we are Man Utd and players and teams from Man Utd must perform better."
The first half saw United's established stars struggling to make an impact. Rashford, Casemiro, and Mount, all returning from underwhelming individual seasons, were taken off at halftime in a planned switch. Mount had a brief moment of brilliance, winning possession high up the field to create United's best chance of the first half for Ethan Wheatley. However, Rosenborg remained the dominant side, with Ole Saeter and Marius Broholm causing constant problems for the United defense.
Rosenborg's relentless pressure paid off in the dying moments of the game when Holm fired a stoppage-time winner, much to the delight of the home crowd. The young United side in the second half showed promise but failed to hit the back of the net before ending up on the losing side.
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Reflecting on the match, Ten Hag emphasized the need for improvement. "You win games. Definitely, you don't lose games. If you can't win, don't lose the game as we did at the end, the last second of the game. The performance is more important. The performance was below standard."
As United move forward in their pre-season campaign, they will be looking to build on the momentum going into the other pre-season games. With new assistant coach Ruud van Nistelrooy on board, there is hope that the team can quickly adapt and improve in the upcoming fixtures.
Man Utd's pre-season schedule in full
July 15: Rosenborg 1-0 Manchester United
July 20: Man Utd vs Rangers Edinburgh
July 27: Man Utd vs Arsenal - SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles
August 3: Man Utd vs Liverpool - Brice Stadium, South Carolina
August 10 - Community Shield: Man City vs Man Utd - Wembley