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Watch Tottenham vs Man Utd on Friday from 8pm on Sky Sports Premier League and Main Event; Kick-off is at 8.15pm
Last Updated: 13/06/20 10:39am
Marcus Rashford returned, while Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes played in midfield together, as Manchester United played two friendlies against West Bromwich Albion on Friday.
United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer used his entire first-team squad in two separate training games against the Championship side at Old Trafford, losing 2-1 and then winning 3-1.
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June 19, 2020, 8:00pm
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Pogba and Fernandes played in midfield together during the opening defeat, with Fernandes scoring a penalty and missing one, and United fans will have been encouraged to hear Rashford made his comeback from a back injury suffered in January, on the day Euro 2020 would have started.
Rashford later posted pictures from the game on Twitter, commenting: “Loved every minute of it.”
Rashford looked in the mood and could have scored two, but was brilliantly denied twice by Albion goalkeeper Jonathan Bond.
In the second game, Andreas Pereira scored twice, along with a goal from Tahith Chong. Pereira’s first was a left-footed curling beauty into the top corner, before slotting a second through the goalkeeper’s legs as he was played through one-on-one by Fred. Chong capitalised on a goalkeeping error for his goal.
Anthony Martial, Daniel James, Eric Bailly, Teden Mengi and Axel Tuanzebe also played in the first game, with Pereira, Chong, David De Gea, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw, Odion Ighalo, Fred, Scott McTominay, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Luke Shaw starting the second.
I don’t understand the sentiment of “ How do Pogba and Fernandes “ fit together . They won’t be in a 2 sitting! With more fluid systems today than 20 years ago it should be simple. We’ve just watched De Bruyne and David Silva play together for 3 years in a MDF 3.
— Gary Neville (@GNev2) June 13, 2020
Some players played across both games, while United said on their club website: “Players did not eat at the stadium, instead taking pre-prepared food home as the club continues to work hard to ensure a safe environment due to the coronavirus pandemic.”
United were due to play Stoke in a behind-closed-doors friendly on Tuesday, but the match at Carrington was cancelled as Potters manager Michael O’Neill tested positive for coronavirus.
Solskjaer’s side restart the Premier League campaign at Tottenham on Friday evening, live on Sky Sports (Kick-off 8.15pm).
Harry Kane was among four players who returned to the Tottenham side for a friendly against Norwich – but they lost 2-1 to the Premier League’s basement club.
Kane was injured when the season was suspended due to coronavirus as well as Moussa Sissoko, Heung-Min Son and Steven Bergwijn – but they all played in the defeat at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Pogba and Fernandes need to make ‘sacrifices’
Manchester United midfielders Pogba and Fernandes are good enough to play together but may need to make “sacrifices”, according to Darren Fletcher.
Former United midfielder Fletcher, who appeared on Friday’s MUTV Group Chat to discuss a range of topics, says the pair may need to make sacrifices in their own game to benefit the team.
When asked if Pogba and Fernandes could play with each other, Fletcher said: “Without doubt, of course. Great players can come together.
“Somebody might have to sacrifice a little bit of something – that’s part of being in a team, it’s not an individual sport. When you play with a certain midfield, whether it’s a midfield three, you adapt your game to complement each other.
“It’s all about being compatible and recognising the strengths of your fellow team-mates and how to get your best performance, but, ultimately, you might be sacrificing what you do best to allow someone else to excel, which helps the team win.”
Watch the Premier League live on Sky Sports
- 64 live games on Sky Sports from provisional restart date of June 17
- 25 games to be made freely available
- New Sky Sports digital innovations also planned to enhance fan experience
The Premier League 2019/20 season will provisionally restart on Wednesday June 17 and Sky, the UK’s leading football broadcaster, will make 25 games available ‘free to air’ – including Everton vs Liverpool on the first full weekend back – for everyone in the UK to enjoy.
Sky Sports will show 64 live Premier League games when the season resumes. In addition to the 39 matches already scheduled to be broadcast exclusively live on Sky Sports before the coronavirus interruption, 25 more matches will be available on both Sky Sports Premier League and Sky’s free-to-air Pick channel, allowing the whole nation to be part of the return of live sport.
To celebrate the return of the Premier League, Sky Sports will also launch a host of innovative new features and updates to give fans an even more immersive experience and share the moments live with family and friends on virtual platforms.
