Manchester United vs Athletic Bilbao (Sun 6th August, 16:00 UK time)

Did you ever consider popping your CV over to North Korea @Rood ? More impressive commitment to shutting down legit issues.
 
Gore in ahead of Hannibal. Guess that means the latter is off then, if he can't even get in the starting 11 with Casemiro, Bruno, Mount, McTominay, Fred and Mainoo all missing.
 
I wonder if an Evans Lindelof pairing would be stronger, but I can see why Maguire gets a run out whatever the case. Hannibal on the bench surprises me: does ETH see a future for VDB?
 
Yes. What a joke. He’s fecking injured.
You don't think it's tragicomic that he's not playing?

Was supposedly a minor issue, and he's been training with the first team for weeks. Yet he doesn't play a single minute of pre-season football - and we're in desperate need of a fit 9 to start the season with Højlund out.

By now he has a worse injury history than Saha, and soon he will be in the same bracket as Hargreaves and Phil Jones.
 
Is Maguire injured or ‘injured’? McTominay hasnt been involved in either of these weekend games.
 
Playing DVB is a further insult to the fans. I'd rather watch one of the kids play. At least they have more of a chance at a future at United beyhond the next 3 weeks!
 
United know full well that people will have bought tickets (for themselves or for kids) to see the match on the reasonable assumption that the team on the pitch will somewhat resemble the one that plays competitive games. The club (the money side) see everything as an opportunity to squeeze the fans for some cash, which is why they haven't sold this as a reserve game and reduced the gate price accordingly or just played it behind closed doors.
 
Didn't see the Dortmund game (I think it was that one anyway) but I'm sure someone on here suggested it looked like McTominay took a knock so I reckon his absence is simply that.

Unless he's injured I assume Williams is off to not feature here. And as others have said I reckon this means Hannibal is too.
 
Playing DVB is a further insult to the fans. I'd rather watch one of the kids play. At least they have more of a chance at a future at United beyhond the next 3 weeks!

Yes I am sure not insulting the fans is more important to ETH than playing his best players - or players who need game time after being injured for a long time.
 
That bench is woeful
I imagine the intention will be for most of the starting XI to get 90 minutes so the bench makes sense with the probable changes only being youth replacing youth (Emeran, Hannibal coming on for Forson, Gore) or Hugill coming on for Sancho with him playing 20 mins yesterday.
 
1. Unai Simon
18. De Marcos
31. Paredes
3. Vivian
15. Lekue
25. R. de Galarreta
6. Vesga
8. O. Sancet
11. N. Williams
10. Muniain
9. I. Williams

This Athletic Bilbao's starting lineup.
 
I don't understand the obsession with Hannibal on here. Never seen what the hype is all about.
 
It's not a bad team to be fair though i do think United should arrange another game in Ireland when they can to show fans since we of the star names missing today.

Hopefully next season they won't be arranging two games in two days at any point. It will just lead to disappointed fans somewhere
 
United know full well that people will have bought tickets (for themselves or for kids) to see the match on the reasonable assumption that the team on the pitch will somewhat resemble the one that plays competitive games. The club (the money side) see everything as an opportunity to squeeze the fans for some cash, which is why they haven't sold this as a reserve game and reduced the gate price accordingly or just played it behind closed doors.
It's not all bad, I suppose - AWB, Eriksen, Sancho. However, outside the ground all the kids are saying "we've come to see Rashford". It's a shame.
 
Eriksen-VDB. Hannibal will substitute one of them in second half, I hope. Gore plays No. 10 I guess. That’s the reason he starts but Hannibal doesn’t.
 
5 of the starters are potentially not at the club by end of august including Pellistri, Gore, Forson, VdB and Fernandez. Is this really our second team?

i am very very surprised that Hannibal isn’t playing more. For his own sake I hope he gets sold this summer so he can go somewhere that has more trust in him and where there is a better plan for him. I really like him and think he has a lot of potential and if we cannot use minutes in some of those less important games to improve his raw talent then he should get that development somewhere else and also we should be able to gain a few pounds due to his potential
 
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Bloody hell. Forson getting those preferential minutes again! What's he doing in training because it sure isn't what he's done in pre-season matches!
 
Ah here we go, the complaint police have arrived. I'd be fecking livid too if I was a Irish fan and forked out an arm and a leg for tickets.
This. Fans bought tickets as when they did this was the only fixture this weekend.Bad form from the club.
 
Onana; Dalot, Varane, Martinez, Shaw; Casemiro, Mount; Antony, Fernandes, Garnacho Rashford not even named on the bench and the likely starting team against Wolves on Monday week.