The Red Devils came away with victory, but the England forward looks set to join Leny Yoro and Rasmus Hojlund on the sidelines
Manchester United defeated Real Betis in their penultimate pre-season friendly of their United States tour., defeating the Spanish side 3-2 in San Diego. The win won't matter as much, though, as manager Erik Ten Hag lost yet another key player to injury.
The Red Devils found themselves behind early, as Iker Losada found the back of the net in the 15th minute, but the Premier League side responded nearly immediately. Just three minutes later, winger Amad Diallo was taken down in the box, earning them a penalty that Marcus Rashford stepped up and scored to level the match.
Amad found himself in the mix again just six minutes later, doubling United's lead with an absolutely brilliant effort, before Rashford fed midfielder Casemiro in the box to make it 3-1 in the 31st minute, putting the cherry on top of a brilliant first half.
Rashford's excellent 45 minutes turned dark after the break, however, as he found himself on the end of a nasty tackle early in the second half that prompted his removal from the match in the 64th minute. Erik ten Hag will be praying the injury is not serious after both Leny Yoro and Rasmus Hojlund were forced off in United's previous game against Arsenal.
Two minutes later, Betis did pull a goal back, with Diego Llorente scoring from a looping header. It was too little, too late, though, as United ended up securing their second win from four pre-season matches.
GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from Snapdragon Stadium…
WINNER: Amad Diallo
Amad's fine pre-season form continued as he put in a sensational first half. He won a penalty and scored a wicked driven effort, single-handedly sparking all attacking momentum for the Red Devils.
He was truly electric, wreaking havoc until his second half substitution. It felt as though every United attack threat came through the Ivory Coast international, and on a night where Hojlund, Alejandro Garnacho and Bruno Fernandes were all missing, while Rashford went down with injury, he shined bright.
The 2024-25 campaign has the potential to be Amad's true breakout season at United, and this match gave fans a glimpse at what he can do on the right side of the pitch.
AdvertisementLOSER: Marcus Rashford
Rashford was absolutely brilliant in the first half, notching a goal and an assist. Hell, there was an argument that he was United's best player.
Come the second half, though, he picked up a nasty lower-leg injury that led to him being replaced. He was able to walk off under his own power, but he hobbled off the pitch and went straight down the tunnel with a grim look on his face.
Rashford will be hoping for a fast start to the season after the disappointment of the previous campaign, so any injury that rules him out for a prolonged period will come as a massive blow.
Manchester UnitedWINNER: Joshua Zirkzee
It's rare to find yourself as a winner when you're not even on the matchday roster, but Zirkzee has suddenly found himself as a key addition this summer. With the loss of Hojlund, and now Rashford, he is the lone experienced striker in the squad.
The Netherlands international is expected to make his Red Devils debut on August 10 against Manchester City in the Community Shield, and there is now a real chance that he is the starter against Fulham in United's Premier League opener six days later, too.
Getty ImagesLOSER: Erik Ten Hag
Ten Hag keeps getting hit with injury after injury this summer, with Rashford joining Yoro and Hojlund in having picked up a problem since United landed in the U.S. around a week ago.
It has been confirmed that new signing Yoro will miss three months of action after breaking his foot against Arsenal, while Hojlund faces six weeks on the sidelines with the hamstring problem he picked up in the same match. If Rashford is now ruled out for an extended period of time, the Dutchman will be without three potentially key men for what are likely to be a crucial opening few weeks of the campaign.