Manchester United kicked off their pre-season campaign by stuttering to a goalless draw with old adversaries Leeds United on Saturday afternoon in Stockholm.
The Red Devils travelled to Sweden for their opening friendly but failed to inspire their Scandinavian audience inside the Strawberry Arena during the first half. They mustered just one shot on target as Chido Obi took aim from a tight angle, with their only other notable sight at goal coming when Casemiro’s deflected delivery bounced off the crossbar.
Things didn’t get much better for Man Utd after the restart as they struggled to find their rhythm or create clear-cut chances. If it were not for some smart saves from Tom Heaton, Leeds could well have opened the scoring early in the second period.
Man Utd made a firmer push for victory in the closing stages of the encounter and came agonisingly close to taking the lead with two minutes to spare. An almighty scramble from a corner saw Kobbie Mainoo strike the crossbar, with Ayden Heaven inexplicably failing to convert the rebound as the Red Devils had to accept a draw from their first preseason friendly of the summer.
Man Utd Player Ratings (3-4-2-1)
Subs not used: Dermot Mee (GK), Godwill Kukonki, Reece Munro, Sékou Koné, Ethan Williams.
Leeds Player Ratings (4-2-3-1)
Subs not used: Alex Cairns (GK), Rory Mahady (GK).
Player of the match: Jayden Bogle (Leeds)
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Man Utd 0–0 Leeds: Player Ratings As Red Devils Start Pre-Season With Bore Draw.
