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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Alex Young

Cadiz 4-2 Man United: Dour defeat kicks off Spain mid-season trip

Work to do: Erik ten Hag (center)

(Picture: Manchester United via Getty Imag)

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag said ahead of kick-off that he "hated" friendlies. His opinion would not have changed tonight as his side were brushed aside by Cadiz.

United are in Spain on a mid-season training camp, making the most of the World Cup break, but were tonight made to look like a team who haven't played in months.

Cadiz are deep in a relegation battle in La Liga, having scored just nine times all season. Tonight they hit four and were far the better team, despite a number of United first-team players on show.

It was 1-0 after seven minutes as Carlos Garcia ghosted between two defenders to head past Martin Dubravka. It was 2-0 minutes later when Choco Lozano was found in acres to slot home inside the area.

(REUTERS)

Zidane Iqbal won a penalty, which Anthony Martial dinked home, 10 minutes later, but United never kicked off.

Even after the break, having made 10 changes, and with the lively Kobbie Mainoo equalising after just three minutes, United showed little urgency.

(Manchester United via Getty Images)

Ruben Sobrino and Tomas Alarcon settled the game and secured a deserved win for the hosts.

It’s only a friendly, but Ten Hag has reason to be concerned. United face Real Betis on Saturday, and improvement is needed.

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