Rosenborg 1-0 Manchester United: Few positives as Red Devils struggle in friendly defeat

Manchester United were beaten away at Rosenborg to begin their pre-season campaign.

The Norwegian side hit the woodwork four times on Monday evening as they dominated the friendly yet struggled to breach the defence of the impressive Radek Vitek. However, a fortuitous bounce allowed Noah Holm to slam home the deserved winner in stoppage time.

Erik ten Hag was without the bulk of his first-choice squad but still had Marcus Rashford , Mason Mount, Casemiro and Aaron Wan-Bissaka in his starting line-up for what quickly proved a tough assignment against a team midway through their Eliteserien season.

Rosenborg were quicker to the ball, sharper with their touch and found it easy to get at United on the break and when switching play. Czech goalkeeper Vitek kept the visitors in the game during the first half after Ole Saeter had a goal narrowly ruled out for offside.

Teenage winger Marius Broholm set about stealing the spotlight from the Red Devils’ array of youngsters by hitting the woodwork twice, the latter opportunity then falling to Sverre Halseth Nypan as Vitek made the best of his saves from close range.

Ethan Wheatley managed United’s only shot on target of the half before Ten Hag turned to his bench with all ten outfield players swapped out at the break.

Rosenborg made three changes as the flow of the game dropped off before a further eight on the hour mark.

Tobias Borkeeiet, one of the more senior of the hosts’ substitutes, was left unmarked from a neat cutback but Vitek’s sharp reaction turned his effort on to the woodwork.

Emil Frederiksen raced down the byline in the 70th minute and opted to shoot from an impossible angle to register another effort against the post for Rosenborg. Up the other end, Ethan Ennis almost caught the goalkeeper out with a shot from range.

Rosenborg claimed the victory in the 93rd minute when a shot bounced off Holm yet landed kindly for him to bury in the back of the net.

The full-time whistle marked a tame first outing of the summer for United, bar the good work of 20-year-old keeper Vitek, and Ten Hag will have plenty to ponder over which of his youngsters has earned a ticket to Edinburgh for their next game, against Rangers on Saturday.