Ruben Amorim took positives and negatives from Manchester United’s final pre-season friendly as the Red Devils prepare for their Premier League opener against Arsenal.
United drew 1-1 with Serie A side Fiorentina on Saturday before winning a penalty shootout 5-4.
Fiorentina, who had Old Trafford hero David de Gea in goal, took an early lead through Simon Sohm but a Robin Gosens own goal drew the hosts level.
Manchester United summer signings Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo both started, while new £74m addition Benjamin Sesko was unveiled to fans before the game.
Sesko looks set to replace Rasmus Hojlund in the United team and the Denmark international was not given any minutes against Fiorentina.
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In the absence of any recognised strikers, Mason Mount led the line for Manchester United and Amorim was full of praise for his performance and work-rate.
Mount endured a miserable first two seasons at Old Trafford following his £55m move from Chelsea but has impressed in pre-season.
Asked about Mount’s performance and his output against Fiorentina, Amorim said: ‘It’s unbelievable. The way he works is unbelievable.
‘I move him all the time in different positions and he knows every position. But also the other guys, it was a good test to prepare for the first game.’
Discussing Manchester United’s display more generally, Amorim added: ‘Today was a tough match.
‘We had some difficult moments, especially in the beginning of the first half and the beginning of the second half. We struggled to find the right moment to press.
‘But we controlled other moments of the game. We can do better but it was a perfect game for preparation to show us where we need to improve.’
Amorim admitted he had a number of ‘selection headaches’ ahead of Manchester United’s Premier League opener against Arsenal next Sunday.
‘That is a good thing and it’s supposed to be like that,’ he said. ‘This is the normal thing.
‘I need to think and the players need to fight during the week to change my mind. I have one idea but they can change my mind during the week.’
Manchester United can hardly perform any worse than they did last season after finishing 15th in the Premier League, some 24 points outside the Champions League places.
Their first opponents for the new season, Arsenal, finished third for the third season in a row.
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