Man Utd youth shine in crunching preseason win - here is what we learned

Shea Lacey led the way as Manchester United's talented youth showed they are ready to take the Premier League by storm in the stunning 5-0 preseason win over Rosenborg.

While it was an eye-catching win, there was a lot to unpack from the performance from the game tactics to the players that shone.

There has been a clear evolution of United’s playing style under Michael Carrick, alongside a showcase of the club's famous Carrington academy.

Lacey, Jacob Devaney, Harry Amass and Ethan Williams all got on the scoresheet while there was also a strong performance from Joshua Zirkzee.

United's are scouring the market during the closed season for talent to boost the first team but the Academy stars showed what they can do against Rosenborg.

Three 19-year-olds in particular made powerful cases for regular first-team inclusion:

Starting in a number 10 role with Bryan Mbeumo outside him, Lacey grew into the game and showed increasing maturity.

The winger ghosted inward from the right to sweetly curl the opening goal into the far corner, earning the fan-voted Player of the Match award.

Lacey, whose immense hype quietened over the last year following a five-month thigh muscle tear and a suspension stemming from a red card against Brighton, looked every bit the first-team player who previously rattled the crossbar against Burnley.

Alongside midfielder Tyler Fletcher, staff view Lacey as the most likely youth product to force his way permanently into Carrick's plans.

Coming on as a half-time substitute at left-back, Amass defended intelligently and scored the fourth goal with an instinctive far-post slide.

Two years ago, Erik ten Hag deemed Amass too small for the first team. Now noticeably filled out, and following an impressive stint at Sheffield Wednesday and an injury-interrupted spell at Norwich, Amass offered Carrick a direct reminder that he is ready to act as Luke Shaw’s deputy.

Singled out for praise against Wrexham in the first preseason friendly, Devaney was deployed out of his preferred midfield slot to play at central defence. He looked assured and added an instinctive first-time goal from a corner.

Further contributions came from Williams, who scored to complete the rout, and right-back Jaydan Kamason.

Though caught out positionally off the ball at times, the 19-year-old Kamason was electric on it delivering two low-cross assists.

Carrick's trust in Kamason was evident, granting him more minutes than most of the other starlets.

Much of the pre-match build-up focused on 15-year-old prodigy JJ Gabriel.

Pushed forward for fan meet-and-greets on United's arrival, Gabriel’s inclusion in the 25-man travelling squad felt captured the attention.

However, perhaps looking to shield the highly-rated forward from excessive scrutiny, Carrick left Gabriel and his FA Youth Cup final teammate Jim Thwaites on the bench as the only two outfield players not to see action.

Carrick’s initial spell in charge was built around quick counter attacks. United relied heavily on fast-breaks triggered by Mbeumo or Amad Diallo while Bruno Fernandes provided the attacking creativity.

But this approach left them ranking a lowly 13th in possession and 11th in average possession duration in the second half of the season.

These struggles on the ball—a persistent theme of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era—meant United routinely faltered against teams deploying low defensive blocks.

The Rosenborg game showed a shift in approach that maybe targeting a technical midfielder like Youri Tielemans.

Despite missing both Fernandes and Cunha, and facing a Rosenborg side 13 games into their domestic season United looked very comfortable on the ball.

A key catalyst was Joshua Zirkzee. Serving as the attacking focal point, Zirkzee held up the ball well in the final third, enabling United to pull the Norwegian hosts apart.

His performance was capped by a superb solo goal.