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five things

Victor Lindelof struggled and Romelu Lukaku’s weakness exposed as Manchester United lose Uefa Super Cup to Real Madrid

Marouane Fellaini's talents can be embraced but Paul Pogba needs to wise up - five things we learnt as United were taught a lesson in Macedonia

MANCHESTER UNITED were handed a dose of reality ahead of the new season as Real Madrid eased another Super Cup victory.

Jose Mourinho's expensively-assembled squad are looking to make their mark on the Premier League and in Europe this season.

 Casemiro opened the scoring for Real Madrid when he was able to run in behind the United defence
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Casemiro opened the scoring for Real Madrid when he was able to run in behind the United defenceCredit: Reuters

But they were shown just how much is left to improve on as Real ran out 2-1 winners in Skopje.

SunSport looks at five things we learnt from the showpiece event between the European champions and the Europa League winners.

Lof form at the back

New £30million signing Victor Lindelof is supposed to have solved one of Jose Mourinho's biggest headaches but he looked well off the pace in his first big game for the club.

An obvious area of weakness last season was the vulnerability of United at the back - and they didn't look much better in this game.

The alarm bells were ringing loud inside the opening 15 minutes as twice United escaped after leaving a man unmarked from a corner - with Gareth Bale and Casemiro both squandering opportunities to open the scoring.

 Victor Lindelof did not have the most impressive competitive debut for United
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Victor Lindelof did not have the most impressive competitive debut for UnitedCredit: Reuters

Lindelof lost his man for one of those chances, and though Casemiro was marginally offside when he did score the game's first, the big Swede fell asleep and had no idea where the Real forward was behind his back.

Sensing an obvious weakness on the right channel of United's defence, Real kept probing that area and Lindelof was the man in the lurch again when Bale slipped in a pass for Isco to arrive from the left and double Madrid's lead.

 Gareth Bale was left completely unmarked as Manchester United struggled to organise themselves at the back
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Gareth Bale was left completely unmarked as Manchester United struggled to organise themselves at the backCredit: Getty Images

West Ham could do a lot worse than taking note ahead of Sunday's Premier League opener.

Still Luk-ing for goalscoring answers

When United splashed out £75m on Romelu Lukaku, they were not solving their goalscoring problems with one swift stroke of a pen on the cheque.

Aside from doubts over whether he was a flat track bully who only performed against weaker opposition, there were also concerns over whether he was clinical enough.

 Romelu Lukaku blazes wide of target with the goal at his mercy
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Romelu Lukaku blazes wide of target with the goal at his mercyCredit: Getty Images

 

Having scored 25 Premier League goals last season, of course he can produce the goods - but in the very biggest games he may only get one chance and he needs to take them to really live up to his massive price tag.

What he cannot afford to do is miss an empty net from six yards, which is what he did when United were trying to force their way back into the game after going two behind.

Lukaku looked as though he snatched at the chance, not calmly slotting into the net with the composure which is what you would expect from a world class striker.

At present he takes about one chance in three - he needs to sharpen up.

 Lukaku did score to bring United back into the game but he needs to be more clinical
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Lukaku did score to bring United back into the game but he needs to be more clinicalCredit: AP:Associated Press

Pogba needs to wise up

The arrival of Nemanja Matic is supposed to have freed up Paul Pogba to wreak havoc bursting forward from midfield, but he will ned to do better than this showing.

In a season of transition last year, Pogba can be forgiven for struggling to produce his sparkling best but he has no excuses this time round.

But he still needs to make better decisions when in possession if he is really going to develop into the genuine world class player everyone expects.

 Paul Pogba needs to use his brain more rather than making the wrong decisions
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Paul Pogba needs to use his brain more rather than making the wrong decisionsCredit: Getty r

The Frenchman is guilty of trying to do too much himself at times, and one such instance meant United wasted a great chance to take the lead.

Pogba drove forward brilliantly from midfield as United broke three on two, but having committed a Real player he ignored Henrikh Mkhitaryan who had a free run on goal to shoot from long range - straight at the defender.

There were signs of him linking up well with Romelu Lukaku, but Pogba needs to do more.

United should embrace the direct approach

There were times Real Madrid looked as though it was all too easy as they looked much the better in possession - but this new-look United do have another option up their sleeves.

For they are now becoming one of the most physically imposing teams in Europe thanks to a transfer policy that has seen them bring in some giants in recent years.

 Marouane Fellaini may need have talents that are easy on the eye but he can be effective
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Marouane Fellaini may need have talents that are easy on the eye but he can be effectiveCredit: AP:Associated Press

Nearly all the players United have are over six foot, and Jose Mourinho proved here that he is not frightened of breaking up the course of a game by going more direct.

Once Marouane Fellaini and Marcus Rashford were thrown as as substitutes, they really unsettled a Real side who had been so composed for an hour.

Rashford scares any defences with his direct running, while Fellaini's unconventional talents may not be be friendly on the eye but can certainly be effective.

Going more direct gave United a foothold back into the game, their goal coming from Real's inability to win a physical tussle with Fellaini in the heart of their area in the build up.

 Real Madrid struggled to deal with the physical presence of Fellaini at times
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Real Madrid struggled to deal with the physical presence of Fellaini at timesCredit: EPA

It won't exactly be celebrated, but a different way can be vital as the season progresses and should be considered another positive rather than a negative.

Money can't bypass time

As double champions of Europe, Real Madrid are the barometer for United in terms of their evolution back to becoming one of the most feared sides around.

Having spent a fortune over the past few seasons it is easy to forget Mourinho's United are a work in progress, and Champions League effectiveness may take longer to come than domestic success.

With Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench, this was far from a fully committed Real side but for the majority of the match they still had a different gear to the Premier Leage club.

 United are a work in progress and will get better as players like Lukaku settle in
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United are a work in progress and will get better as players like Lukaku settle inCredit: AFP

The passing and movement was the main area that set the two teams apart, and it shows United still have work to do before they are a well drilled unit.

Much of that will come with time as new players get to understand each other's games and settle in to their new surroundings.

There are bound to be some critical assessments of this match, because Real showed just how much ground United have to make up if they are to get back to being one of the best.

Patience will be key.


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