Decent, but no more than that

Manchester United… 1

Wolves… 0

It’ll do. On the first night of any competition, all anybody wants to do is get a result. To that end, Erik ten Hag et al will be happy enough. But if this performance was a sandwich, Manchester United fans would be going home hungry.

The off season and build up to this one, with regard to United, was dominated by conjecture about those who weren’t on the field of play rather than those who were on Monday night.

On the evidence of same, those who are currently out of the picture would absolutely bolster the situation but that they are currently in dry dock is nobody’s fault but their own. And that’s where they should stay because some things are bigger than football.

Anyway, it’s indicative of the way this match played out that of all the new recruits on show, goalkeeper Andre Onana was not only the busiest of them, but the best as well. Indeed, if the former Inter Milan man hadn’t skated on a very thin piece of ice, the likelihood is that the Wanderers would’ve left Old Trafford with at least a point that nobody could say they didn’t deserve.

Personally speaking, I think this transfer window has been a disaster for United. The recruitment of Onana and Mount notwithstanding. At the time of typing, Harry Maguire, Anthony Martial, Antony and Scott McTominay are still on the books, as is other trash. Whilst at the same time, the likes of Fred, Anthony Elanga, Alex Telles, Eric Bailly and David De Gea have been or are being told they’re no longer wanted.

If you take it that Marcus Rashford is regarded as a midfielder, our prime strike force is Anthony Martial – whose body is about as reliable as something you’d buy from Dell Boy and Rodney – and a youngster who was injured arriving and whose main selling point was that he scored princely sum of nine goals for Atalanta last season. Guardiola or anyone else are unlikely to be shaking in their boots.

Whether it’s down to further Glazer mismanagement or not is unclear, but, in a transfer window where a centre back and centre forward had to be top of the shopping list, they have – with the exception of an injured, unproven youngster – failed to sort either.

The bank should’ve been broken for Harry Kane – in particular – or Evan Ferguson while it’s believed there are at least two unhappy centre halves at Eastlands. Either of which would be a humongous upgrade on what ten Hag currently has at his disposal.

Still, the coach proved last season he can indeed make silk purses out of pigs’ ears but he has already said this season the job will be to kick on from the progress made at the time.

Monday’s result represents a decent start, but whether he has enough rabbits to pull out of a hat to take the next step remains to be seen.