- Blaise Matuidi gave PSG the lead after 25 minutes when he flicked the ball past goalkeeper David de Gea
- Zlatan Ibrahimovic doubled PSG's advantage after combing with Maxwell and finishing from close range
- De Gea was not at his best, with manager Louis van Gaal taking the Real Madrid target off at half-time
- Summer signings Memphis Depay, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Morgan Schneiderlin and Matteo Darmian in action
- United's next game is the Premier League opener against Tottenham on Saturday August 8
At
the end of what has for much of the time looked like quite a pleasing
pre-season tour for Louis van Gaal and Manchester United, a significant
and perhaps rather predictable problem has now emerged.
Just
nine days short of the start of the Barclays Premier League season,
United face a major issue with their goalkeeper David de Gea.
At
the end of last season, with De Gea being courted heavily by Real
Madrid, United were facing three possible scenarios and currently they
would appear to find themselves lumbered with the worst.
PSG striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic (left)
tucks the ball past David de Gea from close range to put his side 2-0 up
against Manchester United
Ibrahimovic celebrates after combining
with team-mate Maxwell to double his side's advantage after 34 minutes
at Soldier Field in Chicago
Ibrahimovic, who has admitted he would be happy to work with Louis van Gaal, started and finished the move for PSG's second goal
Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Blaise
Matuidi beats Luke Shaw and Phil Jones (L-R) to the ball before flicking
it past De Gea to make it 1-0
France international Matuidi celebrates after giving his side the lead in the International Champions Cup fixture in Chicago
By
now, Van Gaal and United either needed De Gea gone and replaced or
secured on a new contract. Instead, they have a goalkeeper whose future
remains uncertain and who looks short of match sharpness and focus.
After being taken off at half-time here, De Gea actually headed home for
England with only 107 minutes of pre-season football under his belt.
It
is worth noting at this point that United do not have another
competitive game planned before their season opener against Tottenham a
week on Saturday. They have only one behind closed door game in the
diary.
Currently,
then, Van Gaal's goalkeeping choices would appear to be between De Gea,
new signing Sergio Romero - who was here as a spectator on Wednesday
night - and young Sam Johnstone who has actually played more football
out here than the other two put together but who is expected to join
Preston on loan in the coming days.
At
this point it seems hard to believe that De Gea won't start against
Spurs. But if he does then Van Gaal and his coaches will have to bring
about a comprehensive improvement in the Spaniard's form and demeanour
over the next week or so.
De
Gea, remember, began the tour complaining of back trouble. A visit to a
hospital in San Jose revealed nothing. Since then he has played an hour
against Barcelona and then this error-strewn 45 minutes on Wednesday
night at Soldier Field.
Why
Van Gaal took him off here in Illinois is hard to fathom. If any player
in his squad is in need of what the Dutch coach likes to call 'match
rhythm' then it is his No 1 goalkeeper.
Instead,
however, Van Gaal saw De Gea almost give away a goal in only the second
minute and then play a major part in a rather comedic opening goal for
the French champions.
Some
may have sympathy for the United goalkeeper. He clearly thought he
would be a Madrid player by now and at least he has joined the tour,
unlike another unsettled Jorge Mendes client Angel di Maria.
Here
in Chicago, however, he looked distracted from the get-go and his
dreadful clearance straight to Zlatan Ibrahimovic would have resulted in
the opening goal had the Swedish centre forward not hammered it
straight back over the bar and in to the crowd.
Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney looks for a team-mate as Paris Saint-Germain new boy Benjamin Stambouli chases him down
Summer signing Memphis Depay twists away from PSG midfielder Matuidi during the first half at Soldier Field on Wednesday evening
Former Bayern Munich midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger skips away from goalscorer Ibrahimovic during the opening period
Manchester United new boy Matteo Darmian chases down PSG's Brazil international Lucas Moura in front of a sold out crowd
Manchester United youngster Andreas Pereira takes on fellow substitute Christopher Nkunku during the second half
If that served as a warning to United and their goalkeeper then it wasn't heeded.
Twenty
minutes or so later, a long ball through the middle caught De Gea in
no-man's land and as Phil Jones and Luke Shaw got in each other's way
under pressure from Blaise Matuidi, the France international nudged the
ball into the net from 16 yards.
It was a dreadful goal and one that served to undermine all that United had done prior to that.
With
Shaw and Ashley Young combining well down the left once more and Wayne
Rooney and Memphis Depay forming a reasonable centre forward partnership
in what was pretty much a 4-4-2 formation, United looked more than
dangerous when they had the ball.
Indeed
Depay may have scored after being teed up by Rooney in the 16th minute
while Juan Mata ran on to a superb Daley Blind pass to convert in the
23rd minute only to be flagged offside. That would have been a picture
book goal.
Once
United fell behind, however, they began to struggle a little. With
Bastian Schweinsteiger looking rather short of match fitness alongside
Michael Carrick in the centre of the field, United looked vulnerable to
PSG's counter attacks and shortly after Rooney had driven a shot
narrowly over from 20 yards the French team broke to double their lead.
Former Tottenham midfielder Stambouli attempts to intercept a pass from Michael Carrick as United move the ball up the pitch
Rooney, pictured launching himself
into the air to control a pass, was unable to threaten Paris
Saint-Germain's goal in the first half
Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata has a shot at goal with his left foot as Stambouli sticks out a leg to block his attempt
Paris Saint-Germain manager Laurent Blanc gestures on the touchline during his side's 2-0 win against Manchester United
Paris Saint-Germain defender Maxwell
tries to avoid a sliding tackle from United defender Phil Jones as he
attacks down the left flank
It
was, sadly, all too easy. Ibrahimovic began the move in the centre
circle by releasing left-back Maxwell and then simply ran away from the
floundering Schweinsteiger to arrive between Jones and Blind to side
foot the ensuing cross between De Gea's legs from six yards.
There
was no blame attached to De Gea on this occasion. PSG were just too
slick and too clinical and from that point on they never looked like
conceding their advantage.
Depay
- who looks as though he will never lack confidence - brought a save
from German goalkeeper Kevin Trapp with a free-kick just before the
interval and Rooney was narrowly beaten to the rebound by a defender.
In
to the second half, though, and there were fewer chances for the
English team. United still enjoyed plenty of the ball as PSG seemed
content to sit off and protect their lead. Apart from a miscontrol from
Mata at the far post early on, however, there was nothing from United
that seriously troubled their opponents.
As
Van Gaal heads home to Manchester on Wednesday night, he will reflect
on three victories and one defeat. He will also ponder what to do about
Di Maria - who still has not signed for PSG - and indeed his Argentine
defender Marcos Rojo who needs to be fast tracked to fitness after a
passport issue kept him from joining the squad here at the weekend.
Above
all, however, Van Gaal has a major problem to solve with his goalkeeper
and, it must be said, it wasn't that hard to see it coming.
Rooney shows he's not afraid to do his
share of defensive work as he chases down Ibrahimovic during United's
final game in the USA
Manchester United assistant manager Ryan Giggs passes the ball back as boss Louis van Gaal watches on from the bench
Depay attempts to burst between Paris
Saint-Germain defenders Serge Aurier (left) and Thiago Silva (right) as
United chase the game
United skipper Rooney, playing as a lone striker, fires a shot over the bar as Paris Saint-Germain captain Silva closes him down
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