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What we noticed on Marcus Rashford's first Man Utd appearance in 20 months vs AC Milan Marcus Rashford made his unexpected return to Manchester United in a pre-season friendly against Ruben Amorim's AC Milan. Marcus Rashford's first appearance in a Manchester United shirt in 20 months saw him immediately concede a foul, yet the determination he showed in attempting to win back possession felt significant on the day he made his surprise return to his boyhood club. Rashford was brought on for the final 30 minutes of United's pre-season friendly defeat to AC Milan in Wroclaw. When Rashford entered the pitch alongside five of his United team-mates, Ruben Amorim was seated in the dugout for virtually the only time throughout the afternoon. The irony of Rashford returning against Amorim's new club was not lost on anyone, given it was the Portuguese manager who had frozen the academy product out and seemingly brought his Old Trafford career to a close. Now, Michael Carrick is working to repair relations and both parties are speaking positively. The choice to give Rashford the No.9 shirt in Poland felt meaningful. It is a prestigious number reserved for standout players. While United were keen to stress it was merely a provisional number, it would seem odd to alter it at this stage. Rashford's status as a United player remains arguably even more secure with just over a fortnight of the transfer window remaining. He certainly grew into the game following that early foul. His direct running from the left posed problems for Milan's defenders and he exploited the space behind wing-back Samuel Chukwueze, who was outstanding going forward but vulnerable defensively. At one stage, Rashford used his shoulder to force Mario Gila over the ball before combining effectively with Luke Shaw, a left-flank pairing that once proved so productive. This brief appearance certainly provided sufficient proof that should he stay at the club, he will have a part to fulfil under Carrick. He came on for the energetic Patrick Dorgu but brought something contrasting and that movement did trouble Milan. One wondered what Amorim thought of it as he patrolled his technical area, frequently adopting that squat stance we witnessed so regularly at Old Trafford last year. Amorim's departure from United came rapidly and following a disagreement with Jason Wilcox, but the pair were spotted chatting in the tunnel prior to kick-off and the exchange appeared cordial. The involvement of the Amazon cameras also introduced a distinct element. They were positioned with the United group and would have been capturing behind-the-scenes material, with United anxious to prevent any confrontations or uncomfortable situations on film. Amorim entered this match under some strain already. His characteristic use of the term "suffering" had left Milan fans unsettled and his three pre-season matches had been underwhelming, including a 3-0 loss to Chelsea the previous week. EXPRESS SPORT ON FB! Get all the best sports news and much more on our Facebook page So he will have derived considerable satisfaction from this 4-2 triumph. It seemed strange to watch United battle to control Milan in Amorim's 3-4-2-1 formation, when numerous players had operated within it under his guidance. The day had begun promisingly, too. When Harry Maguire nodded in a Bruno Fernandes corner within two minutes, it appeared destined to be a humbling afternoon for Amorim. Fernandes hadn't delivered any corners at Croke Park against Leeds United on Wednesday, but he resumed set-piece duties here and produced an immediate impact. It may be premature to remove him from penalties, but two failures in four days this week isn't an encouraging start to the campaign. After dragging a penalty wide in the shootout against Leeds, he watched his first-half attempt kept out by Lorenzo Torriani in Poland. By that stage, Milan had drawn level for the first time. Harry Maguire and Andrey Santos collided with each other and both tumbled to the ground. Goncalo Ramos exploited the space to lay off for Chukwueze to finish. Both sides were committing careless mistakes in possession and ultimately that punished Milan. Filippo Terracciano's pass was ideal for Dorgu and located him in space in front of goal. Regrettably for Terracciano, they were on opposing teams and Dorgu couldn't refuse this present, converting from close range. United once more failed to preserve a lead, with Chukwueze's strike going wide until Alphadjo Cisse converted at the back post. Chukwueze then claimed his second assist when his delicate delivery was nodded in by Ramos. The irony of a wing-back having such a significant influence on the match wouldn't have been lost on United. By this point, Rashford had entered the fray, alongside Lisandro Martinez and Kobbie Mainoo, and the match rapidly slipped beyond United's grasp. Once more Milan's tactical setup dragged United players out of position and Ruben Loftus-Cheek broke free to net a fourth goal. It was not the conclusion to pre-season that Carrick or United had envisaged. Yet this could prove merely the start if Rashford stays at United.