On a night when most of the country spent their evening looking up at the sun, it was the stars of Manchester United that belatedly sparked the entertainment in Dublin.
The eclipse was the prelude to the Croke Park friendly between United and Leeds. An event seen once in a blue moon before one seen every pre-season. This game is a money-spinner for these two clubs now and the success of the jaunt over the Irish Sea pretty much guarantees it will be in the calendar again next season.
This is a fixture laced with history and was taking place at a venue laced with history. It was 17 years since a football match had been played at Croke Park and the return of the sport to a venue that is the home of the GAA was always going to attract a big crowd.
More than 80,000 fans packed into the stadium and for a while it looked like they might see a decent game. It petered out amid a raft of substitutions and with a couple of minutes to go, some enterprising youngsters made their own entertainment. First, a couple dashed onto the pitch, snapping selfies with Youri Tielemans, Bruno Fernandes and Matheus Cunha.
Two became three, and before you knew it, there was a whippersnapper making a dash for it from every angle. The officials had seen enough and blew up, sending us straight to penalties. Fernandes rolled his effort wide, but a Dermot Mee save from Harry Wilson and James Justin hitting the bar meant Noussair Mazraoui was able to win the Boyle Sports Cup for United. It will take pride of place alongside the Snapdragon Cup they won in Stockholm 10 days ago.
That was a day when United’s level of opposition rose and a day when Bryan Mbeumo really came to the party in pre-season. He has shone since moving to centre-forward and after three goals against Atletico Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, he turned provider quite brilliantly here.
There were times when he tormented the Leeds defence. His movement, ability to drop deep and pressing are all traits that make him attractive to Michael Carrick as a striker, which could pose a problem to Benjamin Sesko.
The opening goal owed so much to the Cameroon international, but it stemmed from that desire to get involved. He was offering an outball on the left as United cleared their lines and used his intelligence to dash round Jaka Bijol and tear into the space. He found the pass to Joshua Zirkzee, who swept home a left-footed finish.
Mbeumo could have had a goal of his own soon after. He tried to pass to Patrick Dorgu when he should probably have had the shot, but the clearance fell back to him and his low drive required a brilliant save from James Trafford.
United were playing some slick football going forward, but on a night when youth got a go from the start, it only reinforced the need to go back into the transfer market. Harry Amass found it tough going at left-back, conceding too many free-kicks, while Tyler Fletcher was pickpocketed in possession a couple of times.
One of them proved particularly costly, with Daniel James pouncing and finding Brenden Aaronson, who was able to apply a simple finish to bring Leeds level.
Fletcher had been pressed into action early against PSG on Saturday, with Mason Mount taken off as a precaution. Mount’s extended absence at Croke Park meant a start for the 19-year-old, and when Toby Collyer joined him for the second half it felt like a reminder of the need to sign a third midfielder.
The same is true at left-back. Amass has potential and has bulked up this summer, but he was rash at times in this game and although he had a good first half of last season in the Championship, he needs more games and isn’t ready for the top end of the Premier League at this stage of his career.
After a flurry of transfer activity a month ago, Ineos have put the chequebook away since, but it’s clear this United squad needs more depth and quality if it is to sustain a challenge on four fronts this season.
There have been signs of development in pre-season. A more patient, possession-based approach has started to bed in and there is the hint of a little more control. But the squad remains a concern. With less than three weeks of the transfer window to go, the clock is ticking for United.
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