A bespectacled Ruud van Nistelrooy paused for a long chat with fellow Dutchman Nathan Ake as they walked to their respective team buses leaving Wembley Stadium.
The pair appeared relaxed as they chatted and at one point van Nistelrooy, wearing a smart Manchester United trainer’s tracksuit, flashed a warm smile.
Perhaps Ake had mentioned how relieved Manchester City were at not being able to play any more, otherwise Pep Guardiola would have faced a fourth successive Community Shield defeat.
Van Nistelrooy, who scored 150 goals in 219 games for United between 2001 and 2006, returned to Old Trafford in the summer with Erik ten Hag giving him an expanded role as his assistant.
However, United’s profligacy in front of goal on Saturday, with Marcus Rashford particularly to blame, will surely force van Nistelrooy to spend the next few days giving instructions on his specialist subject – how to put the ball in the net – ahead of Friday’s Premier League opener against Fulham.
Ruud van Nistelrooy saw Manchester United struggle for chances in the Community Shield
The Dutchman will be looking to improve United’s shooting after they managed just 57 Premier League goals last season.
Although City looked the classier, more complete team worthy of a champions who finished 31 points clear of their neighbours last season, United had by far the better chances and had Rashford finished like van Nistelrooy at his best instead of missing two easy shots in front of goal, FA Cup holders United would have lifted another trophy before City had a chance to win the shoot-out after a 1-1 draw.
United, driven by Sir Jim Ratcliffe overseeing football matters, have been busy in the transfer market over the past few days with the arrival of a pair of established international defenders from Bayern Munich, Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui.
But those United fans who have returned north will be most worried.
No team in the top half of the Premier League scored fewer than United’s 57 goals in 38 league games last season and, on the latest evidence, they look no healthier now.
Rasmus Hojlund is out for six weeks through injury, Joshua Kirkzee is yet to kick a ball following his £36m move from Bologna after missing the United States tour, and Bruno Fernandes was far less effective as a false nine than he had been in the FA Cup final.
Rashford scored seven times in 33 games last season and hopes of a summer break after being left out of England’s Euros squad do not immediately appear obvious.
He appeared injury-free but when faced with goal without a City defender near him he twice missed his shots off target, prompting loud complaints from the United side of the stadium.
Rashford clutched his head after the second miss and looked merciful when ten Hag replaced him near the end, sparing him the ordeal of having to take a penalty.
Manchester United had a couple of golden opportunities to put the ball in the back of the net at Wembley
Marcus Rashford failed to convert from close range and the match had to be decided in a penalty shootout
While the manager tried to be kind afterwards – “I’m very happy he’s in those positions,” he said of Rashford – it is a concern, particularly as no one else appears to be taking on the responsibility of scoring.
Amad Diallo played well outside the box, but when the goal was at his mercy, he opted to pass rather than shoot from a promising position.
Mason Mount was the intended target, but he was not quick enough to get into the six-yard box and missed the chance.
United had just two shots on target all afternoon. Fernandes had one that Ederson saved comfortably and, although Alejandro Garnacho scored a beautiful goal coming off the bench, the Argentine tends to score occasional quality goals rather than providing the quantity of shots United need.
It is rare for elite players to need technical training when they reach Premier League level, but this appears to be an exception.
Rashford and others would directly benefit from van Nistelrooy’s experience in staying calm and confident in pressing situations in front of goal and choosing the right shot.
It’s as if his entire forward line needed a dose of the selfishness and ruthlessness that van Nistelrooy had in abundance as a world-class centre-forward.
United’s current forwards would benefit from developing the ruthless efficiency that made Van Nistelrooy so beloved at Old Trafford.
United legend Paul Scholes would agree, and considers Van Nistelrooy the best striker he has ever played alongside, surpassing even Andy Cole and Wayne Rooney: “From the first day I saw him in training, I thought: What a player he is! He lived to score goals,” he says.
Ten Hag has been keen to make clear that he does not regard his compatriot, the former PSV manager, as a one-man bandwagon player, but given United’s current situation it would be foolish not to exploit van Nistelrooy’s particular talents.
“He’ll be working in different areas, but I think the forwards will definitely benefit from it. He’ll have an impact,” the United boss agreed.
The fact ten Hag is leading the team into the new season is surprising given United’s 4-0 capitulation at Crystal Palace towards the end of last season.
However, with Dan Ashworth and other executives watching closely from the posh seats at Wembley, improvements in both results and performance must come sooner rather than later.
Ten Hag was satisfied with narrowly losing a 7-6 penalty shoot-out to City, especially as Euro 2024 finalist Luke Shaw was unavailable, forcing Lisandro Martinez and then Facundo Pellistri to operate at different times as makeshift full-backs.
Ten Hag’s side missed Luke Shaw, with Lisandro Martinez deployed as a makeshift full-back.
The manager must be fully aware that United had a terrible start to last season, losing four of their first six games and the two home wins against Wolverhampton and Nottingham Forest were narrow and fortunate.
“We have a few days to prepare for Fulham. We have to make the most of them and put in a lot of effort,” Ten Hag warns. Van Nistelrooy needs to get back into his finishing boots and teach Rashford a few tricks of the trade.
