What did we learn from Man Utd’s US tour?

Manchester United completed their three-match tour of the United States with a chastening 3-0 defeat by old rivals Liverpool.

It meant Erik ten Hag’s side returned home with a single victory, against Spanish side Real Betis.

Either side of that came losses against Premier League foes in Arsenal and Liverpool, who will be keen to ensure that superiority is repeated when the 2024-25 Premier League season starts in a fortnight.

BBC Sport has been following United on their trip. Here is what we have learned and what lies ahead for the Old Trafford club, starting with the Community Shield game against Manchester City on 10 August.

Ten Hag did not appear overly concerned at United ending their American tour with defeat by Liverpool in South Carolina.

There was certainly not the air of chaos that surrounded their 2018 tour, which also included a heavy loss to Liverpool but was made more notable because of heavy public criticism of then-executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward by manager Jose Mourinho.

Within five months of United returning to England from that trip, Mourinho was gone.

This time around, Ten Hag has gone out of his way to stress the unity within the Old Trafford camp. In the aftermath of the defeat to Arne Slot’s side, he outlined to reporters how keen the new executive structure is to build a squad capable of turning United into contenders again.

But Ten Hag understands, as would be the case with any manager of a big club in his position, that if United look like they are not going to improve on last season’s eighth-placed Premier League finish, he will suffer the same fate as Mourinho.

His first task now will be to assess which of his squad that has returned late, following extended campaigns at Euro 2024 and the Copa America, will be fit enough to play a meaningful role in the Community Shield against a Manchester City side still smarting from that unexpected FA Cup final defeat in the same stadium at the end of last season.

But there are other issues to address, too.

The hamstring injury Rasmus Hojlund sustained not long after he had scored an excellent first-half opener against Arsenal at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles at the start of the trip was badly timed.

New arrival Joshua Zirkzee, who was on Netherlands duty at Euro 2024, is one of the players yet to train with the main group so Ten Hag again finds himself experimenting with a wide player in a central area.

He virtually admitted he had scrapped last season’s idea to push Marcus Rashford through the middle, stating he preferred the England man on the left cutting in.

Jadon Sancho, back in from the cold, has been used in the role. He has not entirely convinced, though.

After flattering to deceive with two excellent pre-season campaigns that dissolved into little of substance when the real thing started, maybe the situation will be reversed this season.

More likely though, Ten Hag will revert to using skipper Bruno Fernandes in the false nine role, particularly as two of the players who have caught the eye on this trip, Mason Mount and Scott McTominay, have done so in the number 10 position.

Of all the match-ups that would have been most instructive for Ten Hag at the brilliantly atmospheric Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia was teenager Harry Amass’ performance at left-back when facing Mo Salah.

The Dutchman’s admission to newspaper colleagues on Thursday that Tyrell Malacia, who missed all of last season with a knee injury, was another two months away from full fitness, brings focus to the left-back situation.

Over the next week or so, we will discover the extent to which Gareth Southgate pushed Luke Shaw to be involved in the latter stages of the Euros.

England’s struggles without an orthodox left-back in Germany were a microcosm of the problem Ten Hag spent virtually all season wrestling with.

Seventeen-year-old Amass may be the answer for United, especially if Shaw needs to ease himself back into the rigours of a packed club calendar.

Amass did well against Salah. You wouldn’t expect the former Watford youngster to win every battle against such a seasoned and world-class star but he did enough to show he can step in on occasion and not look out of place.

Really, though, United – and Ten Hag – need Shaw fit, and to stay fit.

Liverpool’s third goal on Saturday night would be a concern for United followers because it involved another handling error from goalkeeper Andre Onana, the type that occurred too often in his debut campaign.

But the game against Liverpool also involved glimpses of the distribution for which he was bought to replace David de Gea.

Two long throws to the left for Amass were almost Peter Schmeichel-like in the way they were delivered. With barely any effort, Onana sent the ball 50 yards to the touchline straight to the feet of the young left-back.

It is the kind of manoeuvre that turns defence into attack very quickly.

Injuries to defenders last season meant Onana never had a consistent run of games behind an intended back four, that would both have built partnerships and allowed his talent to be seen to greatest effect.

If that changes this season, United’s results and performances will improve.

Sir Dave Brailsford, Omar Berrada, Dan Ashworth and Jason Wilcox will not kick a ball for Manchester United this season.

But that quartet will be at the centre of how the 2024-25 campaign pans out for the club and Ten Hag.

In a sense, they are dealing with a few fundamental problems and a legacy of bad recruitment.

They did not buy Casemiro, but they have to deal with the financial reality of the Brazilian being on an enormous salary for another two years while delivering the type of flawed performance that allowed Fabio Carvalho to ghost past him inside the penalty area for Liverpool’s opener on Saturday.

A ‘tight’ Profit and Sustainability situation is the result of correct checks and balances not being in place previously to prevent the kind of overspend that saw £81.3m committed to sign Brazilian winger Antony from Ajax two years ago when the reality is he is probably not even worth half that.

It is desperate luck for Leny Yoro to get a serious injury within a fortnight of his £52m arrival from Lille but at 18, the centre-back was never going to be the answer on his own.

United need to bring in another central defender. But to do that, they need to sell Victor Lindelof, and maybe Harry Maguire, and that is not easy.

The same is also true at right-back, where Aaron Wan-Bissaka could make way for Bayern Munich’s Noussair Mazraoui.

The problem at United is all across the squad there are players on huge contracts they will struggle to get elsewhere, and who have simply not delivered performances that make them value for money.

Ask any manager what the key to success is, at whatever level, and they will say recruitment.

United’s new structure features Ineos-backed board members and a new chief executive, sporting director and technical director.

It is their collective job to ensure the mistakes of the past are not repeated.