U21 hat-trick hero will earn all the plaudits but midfield duo will have caught Carrick’s eye

Manchester United rounded out the group stage of the Premier League International Cup with a win over Sporting Clube de Portugal B. This is our player ratings for the match. You can read a detailed match report of all the action here. (A score of six is around average.) Ratings Will Murdock – 6 – Was rarely called into question and could not have done much more for the two goals conceded. Jaydan Kamason – 6.5 – He got to the byline and delivered a dangerous cross early in the match but then never replicated the run. He was still composed in possession overall, and was not fazed defensively. Tyler Fredricson – 6.5 – A good performance for the most part. He was key to pinning Sporting Clube de Portugal B into their own half as he stepped up into midfield and pressed high. This front-foot style of defending led to Sporting’s second goal, though, as he rushed forward to challenge for a header, leaving acres of space in behind. Reece Munro – 6.5 – Kept it simple on the ball for the most part and dealt with the few questions that were asked defensively. Diego Leon – 6 – Did not offer much in the way of going forward, opting to keep it simple in possession. Tyler Fletcher – 8.5 – Sporting Clube de Portugal B were no match for him as he consistently found space in midfield and spun out of pressure. His line-breaking passes, particularly to Sharpe, had Sporting chasing back time after time. Jayce Fitzgerald – 8.5 – He was excellent for United’s first goal, picking the ball up and spinning between two Sporting defenders before skipping past another and finding Scanlon. His ability to find space in the pocket and turn at the edge of the box was key to many of United’s openings. His physicality in challenges also saw him force a number of turnovers to win back possession. Malachi Sharpe – 7 – Caused constant danger down the right wing with his runs in behind and could have picked up an assist or two with a bit more luck. Jack Fletcher – 7.5 – Moved the ball well in possession, but more impressive was his work out of possession. His high press did not allow Sporting any time on the ball and saw them pinned in their own half for much of the match. His defensive prowess was also on show when he perfectly defended a 1v1 counter-attacking chance. James Scanlon – 9 – The hat-trick hero. His first two goals were excellent efforts from outside of the box, and the third was a case of being in the right place at the right time. He could have easily had a fourth goal late on but for a good save. Gabriele Biancheri – 6.5 – Did not have much in the way of chances on goal barring one shot that was saved well. However, he did his share of the dirty work, pressing high from the front and holding the ball up with quick lay-offs to runners. Substitutes Jacob Watson – 6 – Kept it simple, helped retain possession, and made one big tackle. Sonny Aljofree – 6 – Added some experience at the back to see out the match after returning from loan. Jacob Devaney – 6.5 – Played a good ball down the right channel in the build-up to the third goal and was good in possession. He could have perhaps communicated better with Fredricson for Sporting Clube de Portugal’s second goal. Chido Obi – 7 – Was a bit fortunate to grab an assist for Scanlon’s third goal as his spinning flick-on fell to Scanlon at the back post, but he should have had another assist late after some great dribbling to set up Scanlon for a potential fourth. He also did well to hold up a long ball and draw a foul. Feature image Ben Roberts photo via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Colm Murphy A football obsessed Canadian who moved to England to enjoy the beautiful game. Colm has been keen follower of Manchester United’s famed academy since seeing a fresh faced Adnan Januzaj for the club’s u18s and has been writing about football with a focus on youth development for over 10 years. You can follow him X: RedYouthUnited.