Liverpool’s 3-0 victory at Williams-Brice Stadium gave Manchester United a heads-up before the new season.
Arne Slot’s first matchup with United as Liverpool manager went well, with goals from Curtis Jones, Kostas Tsimikas, and Fábio Carvalho.
Next week, United takes on Manchester City in the Community Shield to begin their campaign.
While some of the football played in the first half will have satisfied manager Erik ten Hag, the Dutchman will be worried about his team’s tendency to waste several opportunities.
United cannot succeed without Rasmus Højlund, who sustained a hamstring injury in the first game of the U.S. tour against Arsenal and will be sidelined for the next six weeks.
Jadon Sancho found it difficult to contribute while starting as the No. 9 for the second straight game. Ten Hag must decide whether to start Joshua Zirkzee, a recent acquisition who is training at Carrington, versus City at Wembley.
Ten Hag is additionally concerned about another injury following Harry Maguire’s precautionary exclusion from the group.
Meanwhile, Mohamed Salah’s participation will please Slot. A sell-out audience of 77,559 people in Columbia witnessed the Egyptian forward’s brilliant play on Liverpool’s right side and set up Jones’ second goal, the greatest attendance for a soccer match in the Carolinas ever.
