Manchester United's summer has gone swimmingly off the field, but pre-season has been a shambles on the pitch, with the cancellation of yesterday's friendly against Preston North End the latest blow.
United's internationals have made sporadic returns to Carrington, and with so many still in play in the Copa America and European Championship final weeks, there's still a last group who won't be back until tomorrow (Monday).
The friendly in Deepdale was canceled when United reported a small number of positive Covid-19 tests on Thursday, only for the first-team squad to all test negative the next day, depriving some players of the opportunity to gain match fitness. Diogo Dalot and Donny van de Beek were set to make their pre-season debuts, and Bruno Fernandes and Scott McTominay were also expected to play.
United now have only one pre-season friendly left, against Everton at Old Trafford on Saturday, and certain key players will have less than two weeks of training before the season starts.
The Premier League's standards have risen to the point that the concept of easing into a season is no longer valid.
If a point total in the mid-90s is required to win the championship, the first game of the season may be just as important as the 38th. A slow start may be fatal to a team's prospects of sustaining a title campaign, particularly in what is shaping up to be a four-team race.
United's opponents for the first weekend of the season are also important to consider. The return of a capacity crowd to Old Trafford for the first time since March 2020 will be a fantastic occasion, but the visitors will not be short on inspiration, and they will also provide possibly the most difficult and intense 90 minutes of the season.
On Wednesday, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said that the match against Leeds is the most physical of the season, and that it comes at an unfortunate time for United. Marcelo Bielsa's team has had significantly less pre-season turmoil than United.
So, when Solskjaer chooses his team on August 14, he'll have to strike a balance between star quality and match fitness. Given the amount of running necessary against Leeds, selecting a lineup with eight or nine players who have just had two to two-and-a-half weeks of training could be a prescription for catastrophe.
That could lead to a few surprises in the side, which could be important in midfield. For the most part, Solskjaer intends to play with just one defensive midfielder this season, though it wouldn't be surprising to see two against Leeds. Fred won't be back in training until next week, and while McTominay returned two weeks ago, he's already missed two friendly, so fitness could be a concern.
As a result, Nemanja Matic may gain an advantage. The Serbian returned to Carrington on the first day of pre-season and has appeared in each of the three friendlies so far. His fitness will put him ahead of his competitors for that midfield slot, which might be essential against the energy and intensity that Leeds will bring to Old Trafford.
Although Fernandes is expected to play against Leeds, Paul Pogba has only recently returned to Manchester. Donny van de Beek, who returned to group training this week, might potentially force his way in. Matic's pre-season work might earn him a start on the first day of the season, regardless of how Solskjaer decides to line up his midfield.
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