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Football

06th Aug 2023

Man United name second-string XI for sold-out friendly in Dublin

Robert Redmond

Man United named a second-string team for the match in Dublin.

Manchester United played Athletic Bilbao in Dublin at the Aviva Stadium in a pre-season friendly.

Irish fans in attendance at a sold-out Aviva Stadium hoping to see a full-strength Man United team, however, were left disappointed.

Erik Ten Hag picked a second-string starting XI.

Tom Heaton captained the side in goal, in front of a defence featuring former skipper Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and youngster Alvaro Fernandez.

In midfield, Christian Eriksen, Donny van de Beek and Daniel Gore started. Jadon Sancho, Facundo Pellistri, and Omari Forson made up the front three.

Man United played a friendly against Lens at Old Trafford on Saturday, which featured the club’s big-name players and new signings such as Andre Onana.

Therefore, it was no surprise to see a second-string United XI take to the field in Dublin.

Although, as many pointed out on social media, this felt somewhat unfair to the thousands who paid full-price tickets to watch the game.

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