United Scores Seven In Exhibition Game

Airtricity League XI 1 - Manchester United 7

Scorers
Manchester United: Park (13, 63), Owen (25), Hernandez (47), Valencia (60), Evans (69), Nani (pen 82)

We welcomed back a host of players who were in South Africa. Rooney, Valencia, Park, Vidic and Carrick all returned after their extended break to start in an exhibition game against the Irish league's own version of 'Allstars'. Owen, seemingly, fully fit, was also given a runout.

Despite the poor competition provided, there were alot of encouraging signs. Valencia is pretty awesome, as was Park. They dominated their respective flanks. I was rather surprised at how sharp Park is in front of goal.

The more I see Smalling, the better he gets. He seems to be growing in confidence with more games under his belt. Today he looked superb paired with the ever-present Vidic.

I paid special attention to Hernandez and I gotta say he looks like a gem. Besides his pace and scoring prowess, I was mightily impressed with his range of passing. There were a couple of Scholes-like long passes that were pretty accurate. His off-the-ball movement was fantastic, not to mention the timing in making those darting runs. Of course all these observations are made in pre-season games. The litmus test is when he faces the physical defenders opponents will throw at him in real games. So far he's been very sharp and very impressive.

And what's the deal with Evra? With all the regulars back in the fold, Evra was missing from the party. As far as I know, he's not injured. It would seem he's being punished for his extra activities in the whole France fiasco. Or maybe he's just been given a longer break than the rest. Let's hope he gets some games before the season starts.