Manchester United’s pre-season tour of the United States may have been written off as a disaster as the under-manned Red Devils barely managed a win, but startling evidence has come to light that suggests Jose Mourinho’s men did acquit themselves well while stateside.

United drew twice with American opposition, while they managed to beat AC Milan only on penalties before going on to get thrashed by arch-rivals Liverpool 4-1.

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Their final fixture on American soil saw them emerge victorious, against the mighty Real Madrid no less, but with Mourinho reportedly falling out with several members of his squad, the damage was done.

However, if footage released by talk show host James Corden is to be taken at face value, the ‘Special One’ did smile after his men emerged victorious against a horde of schoolchildren:

Not the toughest match Chris Smalling, Ander Herrera and Juan Mata will ever participate in, but they’ll take what they can get at this moment.

For United’s miserable pre-season was capped off with a 1-0 loss to Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich on Sunday night.

In stark contrast to the Red Devils, Manchester City and Liverpool have had a stellar summer and remain the favourites for the Premier League title.

City, the defending champions, brushed aside Chelsea in the Community Shield on Sunday while Liverpool have been on a spending spree and they’ve significantly strengthened all their problem areas.

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United, apart from signing Fred, Diogo Dalot and Lee Grant, have struggled to land their targets and Mourinho’s not been shy of slamming club CEO Ed Woodward for his failures in the transfer market.

The Portuguese tactician, however, remains confident that the club will be able to land at least one target before the transfer deadline shuts on August 9.

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Unsettled Spurs defneder Toby Alderweireld is close to £60 million switch, while United are still trying to add a winger and reportedly are considering going for Croatian Ante Rebic.

The Red Devils open the 2018/19 Premier League when they host Leicester City at Old Trafford on Friday night.