Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Manchester United came from behind to draw 1-1 against Paris Saint-Germain in Gothenburg on Saturday evening.
The 2026 pre-season tour is approaching its final stages, with Manchester United recording their first draw of the summer.
PSG took advantage of United’s sloppy defending early on when Ibrahim Mbaye opened the scoring with just two minutes on the clock, but Bryan Mbeumo made no mistake when Amad Diallo played him through on goal.
Without further ado, here are six observations from the 1-1 draw in Gothenburg.
Bryan Mbeumo playing against PSG
Photo by David Lidstrom/Getty Images
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Noussair Mazraoui’s rusty return
It was Noussair Mazraoui’s first start since returning from the 2026 World Cup. That meant Leny Yoro returned to the bench.
Mazraoui was partly responsible for United conceding inside the first two minutes. His rustiness was clear to see as PSG were given too much space to square the ball to goalscorer Mbaye.
Diogo Dalot replaced Mazraoui at the break to make his first appearance for the club since returning from the World Cup.
Andrey Santos covered every blade of grass
After an awful start to the game for United, Andrey Santos helped the team settle in the middle of the pitch. He showed his vision not only in possession with his passing but also with some of his crucial recovery tackles.
The more I see Santos in action, the more I wonder whether he’s more suited to replacing Casemiro than most people have given him credit for.
Santos put in a tireless, Fred-esque display today, covering every blade of grass.
Injury fears for Mason Mount
Mason Mount started the game in midfield alongside Santos, but he had to be substituted after 20 minutes with a suspected knock.
The 27-year-old’s performances in midfield for United this summer have been one of the biggest positives to take from the pre-season games, though he appears to have suffered another injury setback.
Mount is showing – yet again – that he cannot be relied upon, which is why United need to sign another midfielder this summer.
Sadly, Mount wasn’t the only player to come off injured. Tom Heaton was replaced by Dermott Mee less than five minutes into the second half.
Bryan Mbeumo scores in consecutive games
United have reasons to be concerned in attack, with Benjamin Sesko yet to feature in pre-season.
However, Mbeumo has now scored three goals in four pre-season friendlies, with two coming in the last two matches.
The 27-year-old took his goal superbly before the break, and he was unlucky not to give United the lead in the second half.
Youri Tielemans’ debut
Youri Tielemans came on to make his debut for United after the hour mark. He received a warm reception when he started his warm-up, with United fans eager to see the new signing in action for the first time.
The Belgium international showed his eye for a forward pass to help United launch several attacks from deep positions following his substitution.
It was an encouraging display from Tielemans.
Manchester United v AFC Wrexham - Pre-Season Friendly
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Better turnout than previous pre-season friendlies
I have commented on the attendance of every United friendly this summer because of the noticeable lack of bodies in the stands.
There were thousands of empty seats again today, though the stadium had fewer empty zones than previous weeks.
United’s next pre-season friendly against Leeds on Wednesday is expected to be a sell-out at Croke Park.