The players have already been working hard on the training pitches at Carrington and more recently in Bangkok, with a view to impressing the new boss Erik ten Hag and staking a claim to be in his matchday squad when the 2022/23 Premier League campaign kicks off next month.
However, our first pre-season match represented the best opportunity yet to catch the manager's eye, not least because it pitted his side against a strong Liverpool squad that lifted both domestic cups last term.
Ten Hag's team rose to the challenge, soundly beating Jurgen Klopp's men 4-0 with some wonderful finishes from Jadon Sancho, Fred, Anthony Martial and Facundo Pellistri.