Manchester United beat Wigan (2-0) in a friendly match that was decided in the second half after an assist from Juan Mata.
Juan Mata started the 2016/17 pre-season in the same way that he concluded the last campaign: providing assists for his team-mates. One pass he provided three minutes after taking to the pitch, having crucially robbed the ball from Jaaskelainen, allowed Will Keane to open the scoring against Wigan in the 48th minute. Midway through the second half, Pereira took advantage with a rebound effort inside the area, following a set-piece, to score the definitive second goal.
The moment Will Keane gave #MUFC the lead. Watch live on #MUTVHD: https://t.co/FbgThKueDt https://t.co/rnjWspQrwG
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) 16 de julio de 2016
Manchester United dominated from the beginning until the end of the encounter, but it was not until the second half that their domination took the form of clear goalscoring chances. Much of this was down to the changes that were made after the break, in particular Juan Mata. The Asturian initially started in the playmaker position, although he played with great freedom in attack and his team took advantage of this to perfection. He moved between the lines, switched to the flanks (principally on the right-hand side) and dropped back to receive the ball and start the play. Juan showed much of his repertoire and that allowed the Red Devils, who have started their pre-season well, to generate their best chances.
