The young French forward opened the scoring and set up Joe Hugill's goal in a strong second-half showing from Erik ten Hag's side
All eyes were on Mason Mount and Amad Diallo, but a little-known French forward named Noam Emeran stole the show as Manchester United got their pre-season campaign off to a strong start by beating Leeds 2-0 in Oslo.
Emeran, 20, was one of 11 players to come on at half-time and he made a stunning impact, grabbing the first goal in the 67th minute with a first-time finish that seemed to go through the goalkeeper. He was far from satisfied with the strike though and duly set up United's second goal, a tidy finish from centre-forward Joe Hugill.
It was interesting that it was the team of youngsters that ended up seeing off Leeds after Erik ten Hag named an experienced starting line-up containing two World Cup winners in Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez, as well as £60 million ($77m) signing Mount, but he watched as his side failed to score in the first half.
Mount had a lively debut and came close to scoring while Amad was a handful for Leeds on the right of United's attack, and Hannibal Mejbri also impressed on his return to the team.
GOAL looks at what we learned during the clash at Ullevaal Stadium.
Emeran the next breakout star
United have an embarrassment of riches in the wide areas and in Emeran they could have another gem on their hands. The 20-year-old Frenchman broke the deadlock with a classy finish reminiscent of Thierry Henry, slipping in behind the defence and curling into the far bottom corner.
He was full of tricks and danced his way past two defenders to set up the second goal for Hugill, adding an assist to his goal. He has plenty of competition in his position but on this evidence he could give Antony a run for his money.
AdvertisementHannibal is everywhere
The Tunisia international was United's most influential player in the first half and was involved all over the pitch. He was frequently breaking up Leeds' play and created his share of chances, including teeing up Sancho and forcing a save from Kristoffer Klaesson with his own effort after combining with Amad.
But his most important intervention was in his own area, sprinting back to help stave off a Leeds counter and making a crucial slide tackle to deny Ian Poveda a clear scoring chance.
Hannibal had an excellent season on loan with Birmingham and this was an impressive first match back with his parent club. He staked his claim for a place on the US tour.
GettyMount wants to do it all
United's big summer signing made a decent first impression in his 45 minutes on the pitch. The main takeaway was his willingness to get involved in every aspect of his side's play.
The England midfielder popped up at the base of the midfield and the tip of it, working hard defensively and pressing high. He got his hands dirty and made a few tackles, including creating a good chance for himself when he won the ball back high up the pitch and tried to lob Klaesson, his shot landing on the roof of the net.
He combined well with Amad and Hannibal but his final pass left a bit to be desired and a couple of his attempts were easily cut out by Leeds' defence. He also took all of United's set pieces in the first half. It was far from the dream debut but one thing was clear: he wants the ball as often as possible and he wants to make things happen.
New season, same Sancho
Sancho played as a 'false nine' in the first half but on this evidence it is not a position that suits him. The winger could find little space behind the Leeds defence and he still seemed to play with fear, even on a low-key occasion such as this.
He looked afraid of taking defenders on and his lack of confidence contrasted with the exuberance with which Amad played on the right wing. Worst of all, Sancho fluffed a glorious opportunity to score, losing his footing when presented with a dream lay-off by Hannibal.
Sancho still has a lot to prove heading into his third season at United having come nowhere close to justifying the £74 million ($96m) in his first two campaigns. And this was not the start he would have been hoping for.