Manchester United’s R950m man Leny Yoro makes first appearance in Rangers friendly

Manchester United's manager Erik ten Hag speaks with his players on the sidelines during a pre-season friendly match. Picture: Ole Martin Wold / NTB / AFP

Manchester United's manager Erik ten Hag speaks with his players on the sidelines during a pre-season friendly match. Picture: Ole Martin Wold / NTB / AFP

Published Jul 20, 2024

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Leny Yoro made his first Manchester United appearance following his £52 million move from Lille as Jadon Sancho ended his exile in Saturday's 2-0 friendly victory over Rangers.

Yoro and Sancho were the headline acts at Murrayfield in Edinburgh as they played the first 45 minutes of United's latest warm-up ahead of the new Premier League campaign.

Goals from Amad Diallo and Joe Hugill secured a comfortable United win against the Scottish Premiership club.

Just 48 hours after United splashed out on Yoro, the promising 18-year-old French defender was pitched into action alongside Jonny Evans - a player twice his age - in the centre of defence.

The United supporters among a crowd of 56,574 at the home of Scottish rugby also got a glimpse of Sancho for the first time since his row with Ten Hag last season.

The 24-year-old spent the second half of last term on loan at Borussia Dortmund - helping them reach the Champions League final - after claiming on social media that he had been made a "scapegoat" by Ten Hag when he was dropped for a game at Arsenal.

It was Sancho's first United appearance since he came off the bench in a win over Nottingham Forest last August.

Along with several other United stars, Dutch striker Joshua Zirkzee, recently signed from Bologna, was unavailable as he rests after Euro 2024.

Andre Onana, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Casemiro and Mason Mount featured for United along with Diallo, who had a loan spell at Rangers two years ago.

Diallo broke the deadlock in the 39th minute when he cut in from the right wing and fired a low shot beyond Jack Butland from just inside the area.

Ten Hag, whose side kick off the Premier League campaign against Fulham at Old Trafford on August 16, changed his entire outfield line-up for the start of the second half.

Jack Fletcher, the 17-year-old son of United coach and former Scotland captain Darren Fletcher, and Will Fish were among a relatively inexperienced batch of players entering the fray.

Hugill, 20, sealed United's victory with an emphatic 70th-minute strike via the underside of the crossbar.

AFP