Manchester United beat Fiorentina on penalties at Old Trafford after playing out a 1-1 draw in their final pre-season game ahead of the new season.
It was time to celebrate the arrival of Benjamin Sesko and the return of David de Gea before Ruben Amorim’s side ended an unbeaten pre-season with a penalty shootout victory against Fiorentina.
The new United striker posed for photos with fellow new signings Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Diego Leon at the centre of the pitch before kick-off.
De Gea was also given a proper farewell after making 545 appearances for United as fans sang his name following a presentation led by Bruno Fernandes. It was the Spaniard’s first visit to Old Trafford since his departure in 2023.
A total of 65,103 fans were in attendance for the final match before United kick-start the Premier League campaign at home to Arsenal next Sunday.
Amorim will be hoping for a better result over 90 minutes than his team managed against Fiorentina because they won’t have a penalty shootout to secure three points against the Gunners.
Benjamin Sesko unveiled at Old Trafford
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Ruben Amorim pinpoints what Man Utd lacked vs Fiorentina
Amorim can be happy that his United side went the entirety of pre-season unbeaten, playing against four Premier League teams and one Serie A outfit.
There will be areas Amorim will want to improve over the coming months, although United fans will hope to see significant improvements from last season, when the Red Devils finished 15th in the Premier League after losing the Europa League final to Tottenham.
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Amorim spoke to MUTV after the match and gave an honest review of what United lacked.
It may come as a dig to Rasmus Hojlund, who sat out his second game of the tour on the bench, while new signing Sesko watched from the stands.
Amorim decided to start Cunha up front, with Mason Mount often switching positions to press further forward and help out when needed.
Speaking after the match, Amorim said: “At times we struggled without the reference as a striker… we have a new striker now.”
These words will come as a brutal shock to Hojlund after being overlooked, but it shows that Sesko is arriving at the right time.
It remains to be seen if Sesko will make his debut against Arsenal next week or if Hojlund will return to the team.
Amorim reviews Cunha and Mbeumo performance
In the final third, Cunha and Mbeumo were busy trying to unlock Fiorentina.
They didn’t have a striker to work with and Amorim noted that they are not yet 100% prepared for the new season.
The United head coach added that all of the new signings will improve over the course of the season.
Amorim added: “I think they are maybe 50/60% of what they can do. I think, like any other team, we are going to improve during the season and they are going to be so much better.”