Man United player ratings v Athletic Bilbao: Pellistri 8, Sancho 7, Van de Beek 5

Premier League side conclude pre-season with 1-1 draw against La Liga opponents in Dublin

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  MANCHESTER UNITED RATINGS: Tom Heaton – 6. Learning to play Ten Hag-ball in the second half of his 30s is a challenge, but one he’s doing well. Comfortable afternoon against technically proficient opponents, especially the goalscorer Williams. AFP

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  Aaron Wan-Bissaka – 6. Defended well, limited in attack, despite frequently getting forward. Be interesting to see if Ten Hag starts with him or Diogo Dalot when the Premier League begins. AFP

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  Victor Lindelof – 6. Comfortable and pushed up as United tried for an equaliser. Unlikely to be in the first XI with Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane the first choice – and both available – for now. Getty

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  Harry Maguire – 6. Caught out with the ball on 24 and then made a more costly mistake five minutes later which led directly to Bilbao’s goal. Encouraged by many fans after a few jeers. Better in second half and redemption of sorts by setting up the equalising goal. Getty

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  Alvaro Fernandez – 6. Tested by his compatriot, the rapid Williams and it looked like he’d given a penalty away. Advanced well and came inside. Positive pre-season. Maybe another loan will be best for him this term. AFP

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  Christian Eriksen – 6. His 67th minute free-kick went narrowly over – and that was about the best moment in a game where he looked average. PA

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  Daniel Gore – 7. Aggressive, impressive – though a low shot on target should have troubled the keeper more. His heavy tackling angered the Basques, but this pre-season has been a positive one for him. PA

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  Omari Forson – 6. Tried to get high and wide on the left wide and while the minutes and experience in front of the vast crowd will help him develop, he’s still got a ways to go. Getty

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  Donny Van De Beek – 5. The first player to be taken off – at half time. That after a typically underwhelming performance. It’s hard to see how he has any future under the manager who helped make him at Ajax. Getty

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  Manchester United's Uruguayan midfielder Facundo Pellistri (L) celebrates after scoring during the pre-season friendly football match between Manchester United and Athletic Club Bilbao at the Aviva Stadium, in Dublin, on August 6, 2023. (Photo by PAUL FAITH / AFP)

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  Jadon Sancho – 7. Should have scored with a first half chance in front of the vast 50,000 crowd. Carried the ball forward well at times, dribbled and passed the ball well. Yet his inclusion suggests he’s behind Garnacho. Getty

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  SUBSTITUTES: Hannibal Mejbri – 7. The brightest of the substitutes, he was pulled back by Paredes within minutes when he was clear on goal, earning the Basque a red card. A lovely turn drew applause, as did a volley. AFP

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  Jonny Evans – 6. The veteran Northern Ireland defender was widely applauded when he came on during an afternoon when there wasn’t enough to cheer about. Getty

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  Joe Hugill – 5. The tall, slight, forward is training well enough to receive first team minutes, but made little impact. Reuters

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  Noam Emeran – 6. The last of the substitutes, he looked lively. AFP

Manchester United concluded their pre-season with a 1-1 draw against Athletic Bilbao at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland on Sunday.

Nico Williams gave Bilbao the lead in the 29th minute before the Spanish side were reduced to 10 men in the 66th when Aitor Paredes was shown a red card for a professional foul. United eventually made their numerical advantage count when Facundo Pellistri scored the equaliser with the last kick of the game.

It was United's second pre-season game in as many days having defeated French team Lens 3-1 at Old Trafford on Saturday, so it was a much-changed line-up in Dublin. However, there was no sight of new £72 million striker Rasmus Hojlund, with Jadon Sancho once again deployed in the false nine role.

“We don’t give up. We fight until the end," United manager Erik ten Hag said. "Finally, we got the equaliser and I thought it was justified. We wanted a good result, to finish the pre-season well. We gave a stupid goal [away] and went down. It was a giveaway, but as a team we showed character and that’s what we need for the season.”

With pre-season now completed, United are next in action next Monday evening when they begin their Premier League campaign against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Old Trafford.

Bilbao, meanwhile, begin their La Liga season against Real Madrid on Saturday.

Check out the photo gallery above to view Andy Mitten's United player ratings against Bilbao. To move on to the next photo, click on the arrows or swipe if using a mobile device.