Manchester United vs Lyon. Friendly Match.
Murrayfield StadiumAttendance1,500.
Match report as Manchester United ease to a 1-0 pre-season friendly win over Lyon; substitute Donny van de Beek scored the winner with a well-taken volley in the second half; Mason Mount started and Jonny Evans made his second debut
Wednesday 19 July 2023 19:53, UK
Donny van de Beek marked his first Manchester United appearance since January with a superb volleyed winner as Erik ten Hag's side beat Lyon 1-0 in a pre-season friendly at Murrayfield.
Van de Beek, who missed the second half of last season with a knee injury, guided youngster Dan Gore's cross into the net only minutes after his half-time introduction as United followed up last week's 2-0 win over Leeds in Norway with another victory.
Erik ten Hag's starting line-up again included £60m-signing Mason Mount following his debut against Leeds, but the former Chelsea midfielder could not turn home an early Jadon Sancho cut-back.
That chance came after Lyon goalkeeper Anthony Lopes had denied Antony and Amad Diallo, but the tempo slowed after the frenetic start, with Ten Hag then making 10 changes at the interval.
As well as Van de Beek, returning defender Jonny Evans was among the players introduced, making his first United appearance since 2015, having signed a short-term contract earlier this week.
The 35-year-old was rarely troubled by Lyon, whose only chance of note came in the first half, before the introduction of Evans, when Jeffinho fired into the side-netting.
Matej Kovar, starting in goal for Manchester United as they finalise the signing of Andre Onana from Inter Milan, did not face a single shot on target, with Ten Hag's youthful side easily keeping their opponents at arm's length throughout the second half.
Gore caught the eye with his assist for the winner, while fellow teenager Isak Hansen-Aaroen almost added a second when his low effort drew a fine save from Lyon's substitute goalkeeper Remy Riou. In the end, though, Van de Beek's strike was sufficient.
Donny van de Beek said after the game: "For now, it's hard to say where my future is. I've come back now after injury and I'm fit now, so I play my first minutes after training for a few weeks, so I try to push as hard as possible.
"Every day [something] can happen, so it's hard to say now where my future will be. In football you never know, especially with me, so let's see what happens."
Asked if the door was still open for him to stay, Van de Beek added: "Yeah, but it's also a possibility that I move, so everything is open. It's hard to say now where my future is.
"I'm focussing on getting as fit as possible and pushing on."
Who will be on the move this summer when the transfer window opens on June 14 and closes at 11pm on September 1 in England and midnight in Scotland?
Keep up to date with all the latest transfer news and rumours in our dedicated Transfer Centre blog on Sky Sports' digital platforms. You can also catch up with the ins, outs and analysis on Sky Sports News.
