Rosenborg 0-5 Man Utd: What we learned after Michael Carrick's side picked up first win of 2026/27 pre-season

Manchester United earned their first win of pre-season in impressive fashion with a 5-0 victory over Norwegian side Rosenborg.

Off the back of the defeat to Wrexham six days prior, Michael Carrick's side delivered a display that included several strong individual performances, as well as an evolution in the style of football under United's new permanent boss.

The influence of Carrington's famous youth academy was also on display, but questions remain over one young prodigy.

The change of fortune in United from when Carrick took over on an initial temporary basis was built largely on a focus on transitions and completing fast-breaks through rapid wingers like Bryan Mbeumo and Patrick Dorgu and the creative minds of Bruno Fernandes and Matheus Cunha.

From United's 2-0 win over Manchester City in Carrick's first game in charge to the end of the season, the Red Devils ranked third in fast breaks per game [1.53]. They were joint first in goals scored from fast breaks per 90 [0.24] and second in expected goals from fast breaks [0.23].

Simultaneously, they ranked 13th in possession and 11th in average possession duration in seconds. Their struggles on the ball, something that has long been a theme post Sir Alex Ferguson, is why they continued to struggle against teams who set up in low blocks.

While Rosenborg may not be at the level of Premier League teams, the fact that they are 13 games into their league campaign should've meant they were physically capable of using their physical advantage to dictate possession and the tempo of the game. United would surely have to rely upon their transitions to get anything.

Yet, a United team without Fernandes or Cunha looked comfortable on the ball. Despite not being as fit, they pulled Rosenborg apart at times, with Joshua Zirkzee playing an important role in making the ball stick in attack and building from there.