The friendly seemed destined to end in a goalless draw until Noah Helm struck with virtually the last kick of the game, to earn the hosts a 1-0 victory.

In truth, Rosenborg created more clear-cut chances, and were denied only by the woodwork and the excellence of keeper Radek Vitek, before the late, late winner in the dying seconds of stoppage time.

But what did we learn from our clash with the Norwegians all in all? And more importantly, what can Erik ten Hag's side expect ahead of 2024/25's kick-off...

Our new coaches were helping to prepare the team as Ruud van Nistelrooy, Rene Hake and Jelle ten Rouwelaar took to the field beforehand. Ruud’s return naturally garnered a lot of attention from the fans camped outside the Britannia hotel in the city centre and he does still have enormous appeal to fans, young and old.

NEW HOME KIT

The 2024/ 25 adidas strip, with the Snapdragon logo on the front for the first time, debuted in the Norwegian sunshine and, from my vantage point in the press box, evoked memories of watching us play in the late 1980s under Alex Ferguson. I think it’s the lines on the shoulders but I half expected to see Neil Webb popping up on the ball. Judging by the number of the new shirts on show around Trondheim, I think it’s fair to say they are proving extremely popular.

While there is always fluidity in Erik ten Hag’s formation, it looked primarily a 4-2-3-1 from the outset, as has been the norm in his tenure. Mason Mount played in the deeper midfield role, alongside skipper Casemiro, rather than the no.10 position, with Hannibal adopting that place on the pitch.

It took United 39 minutes to have our first shot on target of the pre-season. It came from Ethan Wheatley but the young striker’s effort was parried away by Sander Tangvik. The only other stop forced was from Ethan Ennis, in the 70th minute, when his powerful drive was awkwardly palmed aside by Rasmus Sandberg.

Vitek earned some rave reviews while representing Accrington Stanley on loan last season and the 20-year-old looked a confident and imposing figure in goal. As the first half wore on, he was tested by the home side and proved equal to the task. One stop from Sverre Nypan was right out of the top drawer and he almost became embroiled in a personal battle with Marius Broholm, who was doing everything but score. His best save came in the 64th minute when he palmed a shot by Tobias Borkeeiet onto the frame of the goal, but the flag was soon raised in any case. Late on, he denied Magnus Holte when a goal seemed certain but was powerless when a fortunate rebound fell to Holm inside the box.

TEN CHANGES AT THE BREAK

As expected, Ten Hag changed all the outfield players at the interval, with only Vitek remaining on. The system remained a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Jack Fletcher operating in the no.10 slot and Toby Collyer captaining the side. Joe Hugill led the line with only Elyh Harrison, Dermot Mee, Louis Jackson and Sam Mather not getting any minutes from the travelling squad.

FANS ENJOYING THEMSELVES

The supporters near the press box were partaking in a Mexican Wave during the second half and there were attempts to rouse proceedings with bouts of loud clapping. While the deadlock continued, you sensed they would love to see a goal but Vitek was doing his level best to prevent that from happening. With an impressive 21,013 fans filling the Lerkendal Stadium, they were able show their affection for United and also got a winner with virtually the last kick of the game from Holm.

UP NEXT

United's next pre-season assignment is against Rangers at Scottish Gas Murrayfield, kicking off at 16:00 BST. With that game taking place on Saturday July 20.

The game is being shown live on MUTV and you can click the link to sign up now.