Marcus Rashford, Casemiro and Mason Mount all returned to action but 20-year-old goalkeeper Radek Vitek was the star of Manchester United’s opening pre-season friendly at Rosenborg, which finished in a 1-0 defeat.
Rashford and Casemiro were omitted from England and Brazil's respective squads for Euro 2024 and the Copa America after poor individual seasons in 2023/24.
Mount has not featured for England since the 2022 World Cup and his debut campaign at Old Trafford turned into an injury nightmare.
The trio departed amid a raft of changes at halftime, long before Noah Holm slammed into the net in stoppage time to give the hosts a deserved triumph after they hit the post or crossbar four times.
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Former Chelsea midfielder Mount won possession high up the field to create United’s best chance of the first half for Ethan Wheatley six minutes before the interval, but it was Rosenborg who made most of the running and would have had a handsome win if not for the presence of Vitek and his goal frame.
Alfred Johansson's side are in the midst of Norway's 2024 Eliteserien season and their expected superiority in terms of fitness and match sharpness was evident throughout.
Ole Saeter had an early goal ruled out for a tight offside, while Casemiro’s first notable involvement was wearing an ugly studs-up tackle from Toma Nemcik, who might have suffered a more severe punishment than a yellow card had this been a competitive contest.
Marius Broholm was booked for fouling the largely peripheral Rashford and the forward was then in the thick of things as he hit the post before drawing a sharp stop from Vitek. At the end of the latter attack, the United keeper showed sharp reactions as Will Fish almost put through his own goal.
Strong stop, Radek 👊#MUFC
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) July 15, 2024
Broholm went close again on the end of a cute passing move, crashing against the crossbar before Vitek denied Sverre Nypan.
Vitek had 10 fresh outfield players in front of him for the second half but it did little to change the flow of the game, with Emil Frederiksen into the action to torment United down their left flank. The winger nutmegged Chris Armas and drove into the side-netting, while he also drove against the base of the near post from a similarly tight angle.
On both occasions, a cross would have been a better option and Frederiksen’s composure again let him down five minutes from time when he smashed at Vitek from close range.
The Czech goalkeeper and his crossbar combined when he made his best save of the match to deny Tobias Borkeeiet on the end of Adam Anderson’s cutback. A fizzing 25-yarder from Ethan Ennis was the closest United came after the break.
Fingertips from Radek 👏#MUFC
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) July 15, 2024
In truth, there was precious little for Erik ten Hag or freshly minted assistant coach Ruud van Nistelrooy to enjoy in their overall play but minutes in the legs was the order of a day that finished with a moment to savour for the 23-year-old Holm.
Rosenborg vs. Man United final score
| Fulltime | Goal scorers | |
| Rosenborg | 1 | Holm 90+3' |
| Man United | 0 |
Starting lineups:
Rosenborg (4-3-3, right to left): Tangvik (GK) — Cornic, Ceide, Nemcik, Reitan — Tagseth, Salenaes, Nypan – Broholm, Saeter, Sunde.
Man United (4-2-3-1, right to left): Vitek (GK) — Wan-Bissaka, Evans, Fish, Murray — Casemiro, Hannibal — Williams, Mount, Rashford — Wheatley.
MORE: Man United's preseason schedule in full
Rosenborg vs. Man United lineups, team news, starting 11
Erik ten Hag named a squad filled with young players for the trip to Norway as the majority of his first team are still away on either Euro 2024 duty or summer breaks.
Harry Maguire is still recovering from injury, which forced him to miss out on a place in England's Euro 2024 squad, and Andre Onana, Victor Lindelof, Amad, Antony and Jadon Sancho have stayed in Manchester to work on their fitness.
Casemiro captains United in this game with Marcus Rashford and Mason Mount also involved.
Man United lineup (4-2-3-1, right to left): Vitek (GK) — Wan-Bissaka, Evans, Fish, Murray — Casemiro, Hannibal — Williams, Mount, Rashford — Wheatley.
Rosenborg are currently mid-way through their domestic season and they are eighth in the Eliteserien table. Despite taking a break from competitive action for this game, they are expected to name a strong team in Trondheim.
Rosenborg lineup (4-3-3, right to left): Tangvik (GK) — Cornic, Ceide, Nemcik, Reitan — Tagseth, Salenaes, Nypan – Broholm, Saeter, Sunde.
Rosenborg vs. Man United live stream, TV channel
This match will not be broadcast or streamed via the traditional options as it does not fall within the domestic calendar.
Man United's official club channel MUTV will broadcast and stream the game alongside other global options.
| Region | TV | Streaming |
| USA | — | MUTV |
| Canada | — | MUTV |
| UK | — | MUTV |
| Australia | — | BeIn Sports Connect |
| India | — | MUTV |
If Man United vs. Rosenborg is not available to watch live in your location or if you’re traveling abroad, you can use a Virtual Private Network (VPN). VPNs offer a secure and private online connection, allowing you to bypass geographical restrictions to access your favorite streaming services from any device anywhere in the world.
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Manchester United pre-season schedule
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Kickoff time (ET, USA) |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 15 | Rosenborg | Lerkendal Stadion, Trondheim, Norway | 12:00 p.m. |
| July 20 | Rangers | Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh, Scotland | 11:00 p.m. |
| July 27 | Arsenal | SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, United States | 8:00 p.m. |
| July 31 | Real Betis | Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego, United States | 10:00 p.m. |
| August 3 | Liverpool | Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, United States | 7:30 p.m. |
| August 10 | Manchester City | Wembley Stadium, London, England | 10:00 a.m. |
