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Manchester United’s lucrative tour to the USA is in the rearview mirror and now Old Trafford beckons as they take on Ligue 1 upstarts RC Lens on August 5, 12.45 PM BST.
There were many learnings from the USA tour which are sure to be minded by Erik ten Hag as he prepares his side for the season starting in less than two weeks.
The start last season was disastrous, and the manager’s first job will be to avoid a repeat of it.
With that said, here are the top three things to watch out for as Old Trafford lights up again-
Home debuts in a rabid atmosphere
Mason Mount and Andre Onana have already played multiple games for the club but they still haven’t had the feeling of walking through the Old Trafford tunnel with more than 70k screaming your name at the top of their lungs.
The Old Trafford faithful are sure to welcome the new additions with open arms, signalling the next stage of Ten Hag’s club rebuilding project.
Onana, in particular, will stand close to the iconic Stretford End for one half of football in what is sure to be an emotional moment for the Cameroonian.
It is the first time that the team returns to its home since the FA Cup Final loss to Manchester City. Starved of seeing United for two months now, it is set to be a rabid atmosphere.
Then there were three
Mount and Onana have been covered already, but the prospect of the sighting of a third signing makes this game a cant-miss affair.
It’s an open secret that Rasmus Hojlund’s transfer to Manchester United is done and dusted and the fans are eagerly awaiting an official announcement by the club.
The club has started the trend of parading new signings at Old Trafford before games which they did with Raphael Varane and Casemiro.
With Hojlund’s medical completed and media duties soon to be done, it is a possibility that he becomes the third player to be introduced by the club in that fashion.
The 20-year-old has only one season of experience of playing in a top-five league so being introduced in a non-playing capacity to Old Trafford will be a good introduction for him.
A banana skin fixture
When one talks about Ligue 1, the mind immediately goes to Paris Saint-Germain or traditionally strong teams like Olympique Lyon or Marseille.
However, RC Lens, under Frank Haise, are doing miracles. They finished just one point shy of PSG last year and beat the champions at home to kill their unbeaten run in the 2022/23 season.
They are an aggressive, take-no-prisoners kind of team who outwork their opponents and retain the quality to outplay them as well.
They can play on the ground but are also proficient at mixing it up and hitting teams on the counter-attack.
Lens are not as big a name as Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund, but they will be scrapping with these teams in the UEFA Champions League 2023/24.
If United are not careful, the Ligue 1 side have the quality to make them slip and convert the Old Trafford dream into a nightmare. The last thing the club would want before the season starts is a surprise loss on their return to home, even if it’s just a friendly.
RC Lens are very capable of making that a reality.
Besides these, there are other storylines at play as well. Varane will renew acquaintances at the club where he broke through as a teenager.
Team news should also hint at players who are on their way out, like Fred and Donny van de Beek. The Brazilian, particularly, is unlikely to be risked as an injury could jeopardise a transfer.
Overall, it is set to be a great game which will also serve as a measure of United’s progress under Ten Hag as Lens are an emerging team with the pedigree of giant killers.
