The Ajax coach Erik ten Hag expressed disappointment with his team’s performance in a recent game, emphasizing that the result is not secondary. He highlighted the importance of maintaining high standards and individual fitness in top-level football, despite facing players with superior fitness levels. He also stressed the need for improvement and expressed his belief that Manchester United should perform better. In the stands, new CEO Omar Berrada, sporting director Dan Ashworth, and technical director Jason Wilcox observed the match, while new coaching duo Ruud van Nistelrooy and Rene Hake were involved in their first game.

Ten Hag faced personnel limitations due to players’ absence following Euro 2024, injuries, and individual training programs. Despite Radek Vitek’s impressive saves, Rosenborg’s sharpness and match fitness gave them an advantage, leading to their dominance in possession and goalscoring opportunities. Marcus Rashford’s presence was popular among the 21,450 capacity crowd, however, he had a quiet performance. Rosenborg provided robust challenges, and Tomas Nemcik received a booking for a rugged tackle on Casemiro.

Ten Hag made 10 changes at halftime, adhering to the established pre-season procedure of not overloading players. Despite crucial saves from Vitek and Tangvik, the hosts secured a late victory through Noah Holm. The text appears to include unrelated information related to special offers, promotions, and privacy notices, which are not relevant to the content provided.