The 2024/25 Community Sheild clash between Manchester United and Manchester City on Saturday provided some useful pointers for the upcoming Premier League season.
Bettors who used Betpanda promotions to wager on City sealing victory on penalties were rewarded when Manuel Akanji netted the winning spot-kick.
Read on as we look at five talking points from the game, starting with an issue which may be giving Man United manager Erik ten Hag major cause for concern.
Rashford still looks short of confidence
Marcus Rashford struggled to produce his best form for the Red Devils last season and still looked short of confidence at Wembley Stadium.
He missed a glorious chance to get on the scoresheet in the first half, sending his shot well wide after being teed up perfectly by Casemiro.
Rashford hit the post when it was easier to score with another chance after the break and the miss summed up what was another miserable afternoon for the forward.
With competition for attacking places now extremely fierce at United, the 26-year-old will end up on the bench if he does not rediscover his best form.
Bobb set for breakthrough season
While Rashford floundered for United, Norwegian starlet Oscar Bobb showed him how it should be done by giving his opponents at torrid.
He looked cool in possession, while his impressive dribbling skills left United’s defence chasing shadows for most of the contest.
Bobb’s performance impressed former Man United star Roy Keane, who singled him out for praise while undertaking punditry duties on ITV.
The 21-year-old’s versatility means he should get opportunities to shine this season and he will be difficult to keep out of the starting XI if he keeps performing like this.
Time is running out for Mount
Plenty of eyebrows were raised when Man United splashed the cash to sign Mason Mount from Chelsea last summer and little has gone right for him since then.
The midfielder produced another woeful performance against Man City and the only surprise was that he wasn’t substituted well before the 60-minute mark.
Ten Hag clearly rates the former Chelsea star, but even he will find it difficult to keep backing him if he continues to underperform in a United shirt.
Mount is running out of time to prove he can cut it with United. If he continues in the same vein, shipping him off to another club may not be easy.
City have a ton of attacking options
Having won the Premier League title for four consecutive seasons, it is no surprise that bookmakers rate City as the favourites to make it five-in-a-row this term.
Their multi-talented squad looks strong in every area, particularly when it comes to the options available on the flanks.
Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva, Jack Grealish and Jeremy Doku all have the ability to be regular starters, highlighting the strength in depth City possess.
With Bobb and new signing Savinho also in the mix, City manager Pep Guardiola has plenty of ammunition to go to war with this season.
Martinez isn’t a left-back
With United hit by injuries to several key defenders in the run-up to the game, their backline had a makeshift look when the action got underway.
Diogo Dalot started at right-back, while Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans teamed up at centre-back. Lisandro Martinez completed the line-up at left-back.
The Argentine is a willing enough worker in that position, but United cannot afford to utilise him there if they are serious about challenging for silverware.
With doubts about the fitness of Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia, United need to sign another specialist left-back before the transfer window closes.
