Erik ten Hag and his Manchester United squad tonight step up their preparations for the second half of the season with a friendly against Spanish side Cadiz. With all eyes having been on the World Cup for the past three weeks, the first days without tournament football brings us some club-side kickabouts.
United are on a training camp in Andalusia with a squad made up of first-team regulars not in Qatar and plenty of young talents, meaning there will be plenty of opportunities for some to stake their claim for competitive minutes when the domestic campaigns resume. Donny van de Beek is another likely with a final chance to prove his worth.
The likes of David de Gea, Anthony Martial and new shining star Alejandro Garnacho are all expected to be involved tonight. You can follow the game LIVE below with our dedicated match blog of the mid-season friendly from Estadio Nuevo Mirandilla in Andalusia.
Live updates
50min: Shouts for a United penalty as Shoretire takes a tumble inside the area, but the referee isn’t interested.
GOAL!
48min: Instant impact from Mainoo!
He cuts inside and his shot deflects off of a defender to wrong-foot the keeper.
Second half
46min: Back underway!
Ten Hag has changed almost the entire team.
Here’s the second-half XI: Dubravka, Jurado, Fredricson, Bernard, Murray, Savage, Mainoo, Hansen-Aaroen, Emeran, Shoretire, McNeill
Sounds like changes aplenty for United.
So, Cadiz lead at the break, and are good value for it. Martial halved the deficit from the penalty spot, but United have done little else.
Ten Hag said before kick-off that he hated friendlies. I can see why.
Half-time!
46min: No. The referee plays zero seconds of added time.
45min: Another chance before the break?
42min: Another chance for Cadiz as a shot is flashed across Dubravka’s goal. The keeper had to scramble but was never truly a problem.
40min: A few choice words being exchanged between the two coaches.
It’s a friendly, guys. Come on.
