Toney brace, Shaw return date and Antonio runs riot: FPL pre-season notes

We round up more pre-season friendly action involving Premier League teams in our latest Scout Notes piece.

We previously looked at six-top flight teams who took part in warm-up matches on Saturday and now we turn our attention to half a dozen more: Brentford, Manchester United, Southampton, Watford, West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

We’ll have the goal, assist and line-up information from all these games plus brief Fantasy Premier League-centric notes on each clash.

Don’t forget to check out our comprehensive pre-season page for more information on the warm-up matches taking place ahead of Gameweek 1.

QUEENS PARK RANGERS 4-2 MANCHESTER UNITED

• Goals: Jesse Lingard (£7.0m), Anthony Elanga
• Assists: Facundo Pellistri, Shola Shoretire

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

Luke Shaw (£5.5m), Jadon Sancho (£9.5m) and Harry Maguire (£5.5m) won’t be back in full training with Manchester United until the beginning of August, Ole Gunnar Solksjaer confirmed on Saturday.

The United boss was asked about his international contingent and their post-tournament breaks, with some players back on the grass today but others still a week away from a return:

Many will join in training on Monday so they’ve got their catch-up, a few weeks. That’s unfortunately the way it is, every year where there is a tournament, we have to catch up and hopefully they’ve done the work we’ve told them to do when they’re away.

The English players and Fred, the ones who went all the way to the finals in the Copa America and the Euros – they needed a longer break. They’ll be back with us in about 10 days’ time.

Shaw is also recovering from broken ribs but is confident of a swift comeback and his services may well be needed on the opening day against Leeds, with Alex Telles (£5.0m) set to be out for a “few weeks”.

Solskjaer said of the Brazilian:

Unfortunately, Alex slipped and he twisted his ankle so he’ll be out for a few weeks. We’re hoping that it’s not going to be too bad but he’ll be out for a little while.

United were demolished 4-2 by QPR on Saturday but any concern at the unexpected scoreline is eased with one glance at the Red Devils’ line-up, with Aaron Wan-Bissaka (£5.5m) and Mason Greenwood (£7.5m) the only real first-team regulars who were in action at Loftus Road.

Returning loanee Jesse Lingard (£7.0m) laid down a marker in the absence of Bruno Fernandes (£12.0m), slipping United into an early lead before Solskjaer’s troops shipped on four occasions.

Lingard was deployed in the hole of United’s customary 4-2-3-1, with Greenwood once again leading the line.

Anthony Elanga curled home a late consolation for the visitors, who should have a few regulars back when they host Brentford in midweek.

Manchester United XI: Heaton (Grant 46), Wan-Bissaka (Galbraith 65), Mengi (Bernard 79), Tuanzebe (Fish 79), Williams (Hugill 79), Andreas (Levitt 65), Matic (Garner 46), Pellistri (Mata 46), Lingard (Hannibal 65), James (Elanga 46), Greenwood (Shoretire 65).

CELTIC 2-6 WEST HAM UNITED

• Goals: Michail Antonio (£7.5m) x2, Mark Noble (£4.5m) pen, Said Benrahma (£6.0m), Jarrod Bowen (£6.5m), Armstrong Oko-Flex
• Assists: Noble, Pablo Fornals (£6.0m) x2, Antonio, Benrahma

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

Having failed to make too much of an impression in West Ham’s first two warm-up games of the summer, Michail Antonio (£7.5m) burst into life at Celtic Park on Saturday.

Exploiting the hosts’ high defensive line and error-strewn display, Antonio had fired a warning shot across the Celtic bows when racing clear and forcing a save out of Vasilis Barkas.

The mid-price FPL forward didn’t need another sighter, subsequently latching onto a Mark Noble (£4.5m) pass to round Barkas and then dinking a finish past the Greek shot-stopper to double his tally.

Antonio was then flattened for Noble’s 38th-minute penalty and ‘assisted the assister’ for Said Benrahma‘s (£6.0m) second-half strike, which was teed up by Pablo Fornals (£6.0m).

The forward reinforced Noble’s standing as first-choice penalty-taker after the game before going on to hail his teammates’ goalscoring form in pre-season:

I definitely did want it but obviously when the skipper is on the field there is only one person taking it!

But the boys are out there scoring goals – Jarrod has got quite a few goals in pre-season so hopefully he can carry that on into the season, Said had been struggling to get on the scoresheet last season so it’s good he’s got on the scoresheet this season already.

One thing we definitely need this year is goals from a lot of different players.

David Moyes echoed Antonio’s sentiments:

All the main players are beginning to get goals and you want them to get the confidence because we want to keep doing what we did last year. I thought we were exciting to watch, we were entertaining at times, but while we’re doing that we also need to make sure we’re good enough at the other end. We conceded two today and we could have conceded a couple more on another day so we need to make sure we tighten that up. 

Pre-season results sometimes count for very little but exciting going forward and less than watertight at the other end was pretty much how the Hammers ended 2020/21: they were ranked joint-second for goals scored from Gameweek 29 onwards but kept just one clean sheet throughout that run.

Jarrod Bowen (£6.5m) has been West Ham’s star performer of the summer and has caught the eye with some advanced shooting positions. Having earlier seen a one-on-one opportunity saved, he bagged his fourth attacking return in three games with a beautifully flicked finish to put West Ham 5-2 up.

Former Celtic man Armstrong Oko-Flex rounded off the scoring in Glasgow.

Lukasz Fabianski (£5.0m) made his first appearance of pre-season but Tomas Soucek (£6.0m) and Vladimir Coufal (£5.0m) were still absent after their EURO 2020 exertions.

West Ham United XI: Fabiański (Randolph 46), Fredericks, Dawson (Alves 77), Ogbonna (Diop 5), Cresswell, Noble (Forson 87), Lanzini (Coventry 66), Bowen (Holland 87), Fornals, Benrahma (Oko-Flex 77), Antonio (Johnson 72).

WATFORD 1-3 BRENTFORD
WATFORD 0-0 WEST BROMWICH ALBION

• Goals: Henry Wise pen | Ivan Toney (£6.5m) x2, Halil Dervişoğlu (£5.5m)
• Assists: Sergi Canos (£5.5m)

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS (WATFORD V WEST BROM)

Watford split their squad across two pre-season friendlies on Saturday, with the weaker of the two matchday parties – featuring three trialists – downed by Brentford at the Hornets’ training ground in an untelevised encounter.

Ivan Toney (£6.5m), who still sits in more than one in three FPL squads, was responsible for two of the Bees’ three strikes, first heading home a Sergi Canos (£5.5m) cross and then firing in a free-kick.

The chance of a hat-trick went begging in the second half when he spurned a one-on-one opportunity but substitute Halil Dervişoğlu (£5.5m) added a third for the visitors before Watford responded with a late penalty.

Kristoffer Ajer (£4.5m) made his Bees debut and there may have been a signal as to Thomas Frank’s intentions in 2021/22 as the newly arrived ex-Celtic stopper took his place as one of three centre-halves in a wing-back system.

The Brentford website reported that Ajer got into a number of attacking positions, suggesting he may have license to roam from that back three this season.

There was again no Bryan Mbeumo (£5.5m), who also missed the win over Boreham Wood last Tuesday for unexplained reasons.

Watford drew a blank in their other match but budget forward Cucho Hernandez (£5.0m) really caught the eye on the left of Xisco’s front three, teeing up a handful of chances for his teammates and attempting the spectacular himself with two bicycle-kicks.

A misfiring Ismaila Sarr (£6.5m) wasted the best of those opportunities when completely shanking an effort from eight yards out but was at least continually getting into promising positions, also forcing a save after the interval and seeing a strong shout for a penalty waved away.

Watford XI v West Brom: Foster (Elliot 46), Ngakia (Abbott 75), Troost-Ekong (Langston 75), Cathcart (Hall 75), Masina (Trialist 7), Etebo (Wise 75), Gosling (Smith 75), Cleverley (Mebude 46), Sarr (Pochettino 60), Deeney (King 60), Hernández (Crichlow 60).

Watford XI v Brentford: Bachmann (Dahlberg 46), Trialist (Trialist 80), Sierralta (Trialist 63), Kabasele (Langston 46), Rose (Andrews 63), Louza (Muwonge 70), Lo-Everton (Smith 70), Sema (Wise 46), Baah (Crichlow 70), Fletcher (Hunter 70), Dennis (Mebude 70).

Brentford XI: Raya (Gunnarsson 60), Ajer (Racic 46), Goode (Stevens 60), Pinnock (Russell 60), Canós (Dervişoğlu 60), Baptiste (Haygarth 60), Janelt (Oksanen 60), Thompson (Gordon 60), Ghoddos (Valencia 60), Toney (Forss 60), Fosu (Roerslev 46).

REAL BETIS 0-1 WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS

• Goal: Patrick Cutrone
• Assist: Nelson Semedo (£5.0m)

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

Rayan Ait Nouri (£4.5m) had another ‘out of position’ run-out down the left wing on Saturday as Bruno Lage marked his first win as Wolves boss.

Lage tweaked his formation from a 4-4-2 to a 4-2-3-1, with Fabio Silva (£6.0m) benched and a sharp-looking Raul Jimenez (£7.5m) leading the line.

The Mexican was denied a one-on-one shooting opportunity thanks to a particularly horrendous offside call, while Ait Nouri caught the eye going forward – although again, the imminent return of Adama Traore (£6.0m) will mean that Lage soon has more natural options available to him down the flanks.

Wolves lost Willy Boly (£5.0m) to an early injury but we did see a number of their assets make their pre-season bows, including Jose Sa (£5.0m) and Nelson Semedo (£5.0m).

It was an advanced Semedo who teed up the only goal of the match, crossing for Patrick Cutrone to finish in the final 10 minutes.

Wolves were in action again on Monday, taking on Las Palmas – and we’ll have notes on that game tomorrow.

Wolves XI: Ruddy (Sa 46), Hoever (Semedo 46), Boly (Kilman 17), Saiss (Otasowie 76), Marcal (Mosquera 60), Perry (Neves 46), Moutinho (Marques 60), Gibbs-White (Cundle 60), Trincao (Silva 60), Ait-Nouri (Bueno 76), Jimenez (Cutrone 60).

SOUTHAMPTON 1-1 FULHAM

• Goal: Shane Long
• Assist: Michael Obafemi (£4.5m)

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

Southampton’s first pre-season involvement saw them draw a behind-closed-doors friendly with Fulham on Saturday.

New signing Romaine Perraud (£5.0m) got his first run-out in Ralph Hasenhuttl’s usual 4-2-2-2 set-up, with FPL midfielder Nathan Tella (£5.0m) deployed ‘out of position’ up top in the first half.

Moussa Djenepo (£5.5m) was used at left-back after the interval, showing his naivety in that position when giving away a spot-kick but impressing going in the other direction.

Shane Long tapped in Michael Obafemi‘s (£4.5m) cut-back for the Saints’ only goal, with the former joined by Danny Ings (£8.0m) in a front two for the second half.

Southampton first-half XI McCarthy, Walker-Peters, Stephens, Salisu, Perraud, Romeu, Ward-Prowse, Walcott, Elyounoussi, Tella, Adams.

Southampton second-half XI: Forster, Valery, Bednarek, Salisu (Olufunwa 77), Djenepo, Diallo, Armstrong, Obafemi, Redmond, Long, Ings.