Joe Toth – USA TODAY Sports
Despite a 1-0 loss for Manchester United vs. the Singha All-Star XI in Bangkok, there were positives for David Moyes to take out of his first game in charge of the club.
With Moyes selecting a side that you wouldn’t expect to see come the start of the season, he took advantage of the absentees and gave chances to some of the younger players in the squad.
The “pick of group”, as Moyes put it, was young Adnan Januzaj. At just 18, his break through into the first team squad looks to have now arrived and on Saturday he was impressive throughout. He was giving the freedom to roam in the final third and he showed all his technical ability, as well as a clever use of football intelligence to capture Moyes’ attention from day one. Every time he seemed to get on the ball the 50,000 spectators were excited. With all the relentless talk and speculation regarding a possible new attacking midfielder at United, signs for Januzaj being a real talented prospect is positive.
He may be only 18 and a bit of an unknown quantity in terms of performing at the highest level, but for United it is nice to see there is further options progressing through. A new proven addition is never a bad thing, but Januzaj certainly doesn’t look like a bad alternative as a back up who also provides a future.
Similarly, the half-an-hour that Wilfried Zaha had also showed that United’s young sparks are a real hope for fans. You can be sure that Moyes will be keen to continue United’s tradition of developing players themselves. Zaha as we know already is an exciting and dangerous forward, but it also seems he is more versatile than perhaps first assumed, with the 21-year-old providing the threat that United may need at times this coming season, towards the end of games.
With Fabio Da Silva returning from a low key loan spell at QPR, it is an important time for the Brazilian this pre-season to make an impression on Moyes and make a push for the first team football he needs. From today’s game you’d say he looked sharp and still decent. United have a strong squad. That cannot be denied.
There were a few negatives aside from the scoreline–in terms of performance–but those will improve as the pre-season progresses. But the young talents such as Januzaj, Zaha, Fabio and even Ben Amos provide a hopeful mood, despite a loss in Moyes’ first game.
Stowe Gregory is an English featured Soccer and Sports writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him or tweet on Twitter @stowegregory. Or add to circles on Google +
