Jadon Sancho and Co can cause huge problems in attack, Matej Kovar lays claim to the No 2 spot… and Donny van de Beek is back with a bang! FIVE THINGS WE LEARNED from Manchester United’s 1-0 win over Lyon

Manchester United recorded a second straight victory in pre-season as Donny van de Beek’s superb effort gave them a 1-0 win over Lyon in Edinburgh.

Erik ten Hag picked a strong starting XI, as he did in the 2-0 win over Leeds in Oslo last week. Antony made his first appearance since an injury in United’s penultimate league game of last season against Chelsea, which saw him miss the FA Cup final defeat to Manchester City, while Mason Mount started for the second straight game since his £60m move to Old Trafford.

The United boss made 10 changes in the second half – including handing a second debut to Jonny Evans – and the introduction of Van de Beek proved crucial as he guided home a cross from Dan Gore in the 49th minute to give the Red Devils an ideal send-off before they head to the United States tonight.

Here, Mail Sport takes a look at some of the things we learned from the match at Murrayfield.

Manchester United recorded their second straight pre-season win with a 1-0 victory over Lyon

Mail Sport takes a look at some of the things we learned as Erik ten Hag’s men prevailed

KOVAR LAYS CLAIM TO NO 2 JERSEY

With a new No 1 on the way in £47m Andre Onana, and Dean Henderson expected to join Nottingham Forest, attention has turned to who will be Ten Hag’s No 2 in the new campaign.

The United boss looks to have a more than ample deputy in his youth ranks in 23-year-old Matej Kovar, who won the Czech league title while on loan at Sparta Prague last season.

Ten Hag has brought in Onana for his distribution from the back – a trait famously lacking in David de Gea – and Kovar exhibited similar ability with the ball at his feet in the early stages, including a superb driven pass out wide to Hannibal Mejbri.

Kovar was cool and calm under pressure, and demonstrated a commanding presence in the box, diving low to claim a cross from former Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette.

Yes, there was the odd shaky moment – Onana himself has been guilty of that in the past – but the Czech goalkeeper on the whole was impressive.

United will target success on four fronts next season and will need a capable stand-in for Onana. If Kovar can maintain this level of performance, they may already have one.

Matej Kovar has laid claim to the No 2 spot after putting in a solid display in goal on Wednesday

EVANS A PERFECT EXAMPLE TO YOUNGSTERS

Jonny Evans’ shock return was the talk of the town among United fans before kick-off in Edinburgh and he was greeted with a rapturous response as he warmed-up prior to his second-half introduction.

The 35-year-old Northern Irish defender signed a short-term deal to help his old club in pre-season and it may yet prove a shrewd move from Ten Hag.

Judging by his first appearance for United in more than eight years, he already has the respect of the young players in Ten Hag’s squad, many of whom he has been working with at Carrington in training sessions since his release from Leicester.

He was seen marshalling his team-mates from the get-go before picking out a couple of forward passes straight out of the Lisandro Martinez playbook.

Jonny Evans remains a perfect example to United’s young players at the age of 35

One of the biggest cheers of the entire game came in the 70th minute, when Evans covered his full-back and slid the ball out of play with a trademark tackle on Lyon’s Pathe Mboup.

There is a possibility that the veteran centre back could earn a longer deal at United. Ten Hag could do a lot worse.

AMAD CAN CHALLENGE FOR A STARTING BERTH

Amad Diallo, like Kovar, enjoyed a fruitful loan spell as he shone during his time at Sunderland last season.

Amad Diallo was promising in the first half before being replaced

The Ivorian, whose £37m fee raised a few eyebrows when he was signed from Atalanta in 2021, only turned 21 last week but is growing in maturity with every passing game and has reportedly been organising extra training sessions to impress his boss.

After a promising display against Leeds in Oslo, Amad again stood out before he was substituted at half-time. There was a sense of anticipation every time he got on the ball, either from the left or from the right, and he looked dangerous throughout his 45 minutes on the pitch.

Antony was inconsistent in his first season in English football but, with Jadon Sancho struggling for form, was relatively unchallenged for a place in Ten Hag’s starting XI.

Amad can not only provide the competition the Brazilian needs but also gives Ten Hag another option across the frontline, one he may need if the out-and-out striker United so desperately crave does not come through the door this summer.

THE FORGOTTEN MAN

Donny van de Beek has not played for United since suffering a season-ending injury in the win over Bournemouth in January, but on the evidence of his match-winning display, you wouldn’t have known it.

The Dutchman, who is seemingly surplus to requirements and is for sale at around £20m this summer, caressed a well-directed cross from fellow substitute Dan Gore superbly into the far corner just four minutes after being brought on to give United a second win in pre-season.

Donny van de Beek marked his return from injury with what proved the winning goal – and the relief on his face said it all

Van de Beek looked delighted and relieved as he celebrated his goal – and deservedly so after what has been a torrid Old Trafford career for the 26-year-old.

Whether he has done enough to worm himself back into Ten Hag’s plans remains to be seen, but he hasn’t done himself any harm with his showing at Murrayfield.

FRONT FOUR’S FLUIDITY CAN CAUSE HUGE PROBLEMS

United shot out of the blocks and could have scored two or three in the first 15 minutes. That was largely down to the movement of the Red Devils’ front four of Antony, Jadon Sancho, Amad Diallo and Hannibal Mejbri.

Sancho began as the frontman, with Antony in an usual position on the left, Amad from the right and Mejbri just behind.

The likes of Jadon Sancho (left) can cause huge problems with their fluidity in attack

But they each had been deployed in every role by the opening 25 minutes, causing numerous problems for the Lyon backline.

All that was missing was composure in front of goal as Antony, Diallo and Mason Mount squandered good chances.

United fans would have nonetheless enjoyed seeing Ten Hag’s fluidity in action – and there’s still Marcus Rashford, who this week signed a new five-year deal at Old Trafford, to come back.