The Red Devils may have made some big signings this summer, but still have some defensive weaknesses that will need clearing up

Manchester United made two crucial errors at the back, and were too easily carved apart on a third occasion, as they lost to Borussia Dortmund in the final leg of their pre-season tour of the United States on Sunday. Manager Erik ten Hag fielded two near-fully changed teams during the game, but neither convinced at the back in a worrying 90 minutes, culminating in a 3-2 defeat.

The Red Devils held a 1-0 lead shortly before half-time, buoyed from a fine curling effort from Diogo Dalot, when their mishaps began. First, it was on the left, with Brandon Williams giving the ball away and Victor Lindelof being evaded as Dortmund pulled the Red Devils apart for Donyell Malen's equaliser. The second came in even easier fashion, with Lindelof simply passing the ball to a lurking Karim Adeyemi, who fed Malen for the German side's second in a minute.

There was some United life, though. Antony buried a leveller soon after the break, and Aaron Wan-Bissaka could have added another, but launched a ball into the rafters with ample space and time to find the net. The defensive woes then cropped up again shortly after his miss, as Wan-Bissaka gave the ball away in his own half, and Marco Reus did the rest, orchestrating a fine move that finished with a Youssoufa Moukoko tap-in.

United had their chances in the final minutes, but failed to find an equaliser, and were left to rue their errors as their season preparations continue.

GOAL looks at what we learned during the clash at Allegiant Stadium…

Maguire hasn't changed much

How many more of these might there be? Harry Maguire was stripped of the Manchester United captaincy at the start of the summer, and appears set for a move away from Old Trafford sometime soon.

The Red Devils reportedly turned down a bid from West Ham for their outcast centre-back earlier this week, rejecting a £20 million ($25.8m) offer. The Hammers have supposedly ended their interest, leaving Maguire stuck — barring a sudden change.

So, the centre-back got a chance to impress here, and the results were mixed. There was a lot of the good Maguire on display: probing balls, commanding headers, a willingness to move the ball. Then, of course, there was the bad stuff: silly fouls, marking blunders, a glaring lack of pace.

Once captain, now back-up, Maguire is a player determined to stick around, with nothing really to keep him there.

AdvertisementLindelof doesn't help his case

Victor Lindelof finally seemed to turn a corner last season. After six years at the club, the Sweden centre-back finally found some consistent form, and was a valuable part-time performer for Ten Hag.

But this showing was a far cry from those of the assured defender that had excelled towards the end of the 2022-23 campaign. Instead, Lindelof was a bit of a mess. He was lost on the Dortmund equaliser, caught in no man's land as Adeyemi breezed past him on the wing. He was even more culpable for Malen's second, misplacing a pass inside his own box, and allowing the striker to run through on goal.

Lindelof found himself removed after 60 minutes, taken off as part of a wholesale switch for United's starting backline. He will undoubtedly still be in Manchester come the start of the season, but he isn't inspiring confidence as Ten Hag's third-choice centre-back.

It's clear why United signed Onana

Do we really have to talk about distribution again? David de Gea was, by many measures, a top-class goalkeeper. But his work on the ball was never going to be a fit for Ten Hag's style. Enter Andre Onana, who now appears, in many ways, to be an ideal signing for the Red Devils.

That much was clear Sunday night. Onana replaced Tom Heaton in the second half, to great effect. He started by saving an effort from Sebastian Haller, before berating Maguire for his error in the build-up. He followed that with a 40-yard ping to Antony with two Dortmund forwards lurking. There were a few other angled passes, too, with the offside flag twice robbing him of what could have been impressive assists.

It is tough to fault the goalkeeper for the Dortmund winner — he was left stranded by an excellent cross by Reus. Still, the improvements are already there. Onana isn't the finished article, but he's certainly a massive upgrade in a crucial area.

Rashford isn't ready yet

This time of year isn't necessarily all about goals for strikers. Pre-season is a time to get the legs back and ideally find some sort of rhythm heading into the long campaign, and Marcus Rashford doesn't quite look the part yet. The forward is doing all the right things, in theory. He makes runs in behind the defence; he scampers into space; he opens up his body for those signature curled shots into the far corner.

But it hasn't amounted to much. Rashford's performance wasn't a poor one, but he isn't quite as sharp as he would perhaps like to be at this stage. Dortmund's defenders didn't fall for his flicks and tricks, while his one clear shot was parried away with relative ease.

Rashford will perhaps be allowed to play with more freedom this season. The arrival of a proper striker in the shape of Rasmus Hojlund should alleviate some of the goalscoring pressure heaped on him for long stretches of his United career. Theoretically, it could get the best out of him. The reality is, though, it could well take some time for him to get there.