Manchester United vs Leeds: Five things we learned from pre-season friendly

Mason Greenwood and Marcus Rashford put Manchester United on course for a comprehensive pre-season win against Leeds in Australia.

Just 37 miles separate Old Trafford and Elland Road, but it was Perth's mammoth Optus Stadium that played host to these sides' first meeting since September 2011.

Marcelo Bielsa's Sky Bet Championship promotion hopefuls Leeds showed flashes of quality but were eventually rolled over, with United winning 4-0 despite Ole Gunnar Solskjaer completely rotating his side at half-time.

Greenwood and Wan Bissaka offer United a new look down the right

Mason Greenwood and Aaron Wan Bissaka have been an absolute revelation for Manchester United so far this pre-season. Fans will be hoping the days of Juan Mata and Ashley Young playing out of position on the right side are finally over. With a goal and an assist between them in the first half, United fans can perhaps afford themselves some sort of excitement, despite this being only a pre-season friendly.

Jesse Lingard and Dalot replaced them in the second half and looked decidedly less effective. It’s always hard to tell whether teenagers such as Greenwood will be able to perform in the Premier League, but he won’t have too many doubters.

Pogba is still vital to this side

Should Paul Pogba leave Manchester United? That’s a matter of perspective. Are United fans willing to forgive the occasional lacklustre performance in exchange for one of the most creative and formidable midfielder’s in the world?

Yes, he perhaps needs to work harder defensively, but United need to keep him onside if they are to challenge for the top four this season. There were no signs of the apathy that often plagued some of his performances last season as he jumped, stretched and slid for every ball and was the vector for the majority of United’s attacks. The architect of the first goal with a pre-assist and plenty of intricate play, Pogba can still be the heart of this United side. His attitude may change should he not get his desired move away from Old Trafford, but for now he continues to be Manchester United’s best, and most influential, player.

Rashford will be United’s starting striker

Amid the absence of Romelu Lukaku, Marcus Rashford has inexorably made his case for why he should be United’s starting striker next season. A goal against Perth earlier in the week, and another today alongside a couple of decent chances where he hit the woodwork, Rashford surely must be ahead of Lukaku in the pecking order and it would be a surprise if he didn’t start against Chelsea on the first day of the Premier League season. Lukaku may still have a role to play, but it is hard to see where he would fit in should Rashford occupy that lone striker role come the start of the season.

The loss of Jansson hits hard

Leeds United looked very vulnerable in defence, especially in the first half. They may have left many of their senior players at home but this drubbing from rivals Manchester United won’t do much for their confidence. Barry Douglas is yet to realise the full potential or form that he showed at Molineux during his only season with Wolves, and the loss of Pontus Jansson may yet have a bigger impact than they were hoping. Keeping star player Kalvin Phillips is a must.

Still hope for Leeds Yet

Yes Leeds lost quite significantly, no they didn’t put up too much of a fight. But there is still much more to come from them. As previously mentioned, this was a makeshift side for Leeds, with many players being left at home to improve on their fitness, including new signing Helder Costa, who looked impressive in his first match. We know players such as Pablo Hernandez, Phillips, Patrick Bamford and Keemar Roofe can all be sensations within Championship football, they just need to continue progressing until the start of the season in less than a month. Assuming that happens, all will be okay for Bielsa’s side as they eye Premier League promotion once again.