6 Talking Points From Sweden

Manchester United registered a 5-2 win over Galatasaray in Gothenburg on Saturday and ManUtd.com’s Mark Froggatt was at Ullevi Stadium to spot these six talking points...

IT WAS ZLATAN’S TIME
Zlatan Ibrahimovic promised he would give the Swedish fans what they wanted in this match and our new number nine was true to his word. The 34-year-old scored his first goal for the club after only three minutes and 14 seconds, breaking free inside the penalty area to execute an acrobatic overhead kick that sent the ball bouncing into the back of the net. He was substituted at half-time, much to the disappointment of the crowd, but his work was already done. It was definitely Zlatan's time.

VALENCIA THE ASSIST KING
Although much of the attention was on Zlatan, Antonio Valencia quietly left Sweden knowing that he had impressed. The Ecuadorian powerhouse notched three assists from his position at right-back, firstly by supplying the pass from which Ibrahimovic scored, before finding Wayne Rooney for the captain’s second goal in Gothenburg. Marouane Fellaini later headed home from a lofted Valencia cross.

SNEIJDER’S REUNION
Galatasaray playmaker Wesley Sneijder was at Inter Milan when Jose Mourinho was manager and Ibra was the Italian club’s star striker. The Dutchman came up against both former colleagues on Saturday and reminded them of his quality with an excellent assist, when his free-kick set up Sinan Gumus’ first-half header. He also stung the palms of David De Gea with a rasping long-range drive.

MINUTES IN THE LEGS
The biggest positive to take from Scandinavia was an impressive 5-2 win, particularly when you consider United were 2-1 down at half-time, but spare a thought for the subtler details. No fewer than six first-team players made their first appearances under the new manager, clocking up minutes and gaining invaluable match sharpness for when the real action begins at Wembley Stadium next Sunday. In case you’re wondering, the half-a-dozen Mourinho debutants were David De Gea, Matteo Darmian, Morgan Schneiderlin, Marouane Fellaini, Anthony Martial and two-goal man of the match Rooney.

REDS ARE ALL WHITE
The match against Galatasaray included one other debut for the club – and that was for the brand new adidas white kit, which was worn for the very first time following its release on Friday morning. It’s a crisp, clean design that provides a welcomed addition to the red home and blue away strips for 2016/17.

ONE MATCH TO GO
Tour 2016, presented by Aon, is now officially over following this entertaining and ultimately convincing victory over Turkey’s most famous club. United’s attention now turns to Wayne Rooney’s testimonial at Old Trafford on Wednesday and that charity fundraiser against Everton is the final outing before the FA Community Shield match against Premier League champions Leicester City. That’s effectively when the new campaign begins and we can’t wait for the action to unfold. Bring it on!

Credit: Manutd.com