LA Galaxy 2 Manchester United 5: Romelu Lukaku denied debut goal as Marcus Rashford bags brace
Marouane Fellaini, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Anthony Martial also on target in pre-season rout, with Victor Lindelof also making debut
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MARCUS RASHFORD showed Romelu Lukaku that there is more than one striker in town with a first half masterclass in Los Angeles.
Rashford scored twice and could have had a first-half hat-trick before he made way for the £75million man to make his debut as Jose Mourinho changed his entire team at the break.
But Lukaku could not get on the scoresheet despite two good second-half chances.
It was 19-year-old Rashford who was the star of the show.
Jose Mourinho said that this would be Rashford’s season coming up.
He had sparkled in his first campaign under Louis van Gaal but dipped last season.
Mourinho said it was because the new boy was no longer the surprise package but that he would come good again.
In the early hours of this morning English time he reminded everyone of the talent in those young feet.
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He scored his first after just two minutes when Jesse Lingard’s tackle on Nathan Smith saw the ball break to Rashford who nervelessly tucked it into the far bottom corner.
On 20 minutes he had his second when Ander Herrera won the ball fed it on to Juan Mata who eased it into the path of Rashford to strike across the goalkeeper and in.
Marouane Fellaini finished off a Jesse Lingard pull back on 26 minutes to make it three.
Then Rashford had the chance for his hat-trick racing on to a great through ball from new club captain Michael Carrick.
He had a thirty yard run on goalkeeper Jon Kempin but this time the Galaxy man between the sticks got the better of him saving his side foot shot.
This is clearly Rashford’s favourite position through the middle.
But the likelihood is he is going to be battling it out with Anthony Martial for a place on the left of a three behind Lukaku.
That is unless Mourinho plays the 3-5-2 formation he did last night in both halves.
He played it only four times last season, home and away to Rostov in the Europa League, against Blackburn in the FA Cup and Chelsea in the home league win.
How the fans would love a strike partnership to develop between Rashford and Lukaku.
Even in a 4-3-3, which Mourinho also played last season, with Rashford on the left he would get more chances on goal.
But 4-2-3-1 was the more regular formation last season with Zlatan Ibrahimovic the main man up front.
With Mourinho changing his whole team for the second-half it allowed Victor Lindelof to make his debut as well as Lukau.
United maintained their dominance with Henrikh Mkhitaryan adding a fourth on 67 minutes after being set up by Anthony Martial.
Then Martial got on the scoresheet himself in the 72nd minute after Timothy Fosu Mensah pulled the ball back from the byline.
LA Galaxy did get two late consolation goals 79 minutes through Giovani do Santos who also helped in Dave Romney’s header at the far post in the 88th minute.
All in all it was impressive from United in this first match of their US Tour which moves on to Salt Lake City for the Tuesday morning game against Real Salt Lake.
MANCHESTER UNITED STARTING XI (3-5-2): De Gea - Jones, Smalling, Blind – Valencia, Fellaini, Carrick, Herrera, Lingard – Mata, Rashford.
MANCHESTER UNITED 2ND-HALF XI (3-5-2): J.Pereira – Bailly, Lindelof, Tuanzebe – Fosu-Mensah (Mitchell, 85), Mkhitaryan, A.Pereira, Pogba, Darmian – Martial, Lukaku.