The Red Devils have enjoyed largely positive results over the summer as they look to put their disastrous 2024-25 campaign behind them
Ruben Amorim promised Manchester United fans at the end of last season that "the good times are coming", and looking at the club's encouraging pre-season, it is tempting to believe him. Despite Sir Jim Ratcliffe painting a grim financial picture and with no European football to offer potential new players, United have been very active in the transfer market, splashing out over £200 million ($270m) on three signings to make them the highest net spenders in the Premier League so far this transfer window.
United now have a brand-new front three consisting of two of the top 10 highest scorers in the Premier League last season in Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha, while Benjamin Sesko is the most prolific player under the age of 23 in Europe's top five leagues over the last two years.
Results have been good too, with United remaining unbeaten in their five pre-season matches, four of which were against Premier League opposition. Arsenal will provide the real test of the progress the Red Devils have made when they visit Old Trafford on the opening day of the season next Sunday, but there are plenty of reasons to think that United not repeat their previous, shambolic campaign and will be able to compete for a top-five finish.
GOAL breaks down the winners and losers from Manchester United's pre-season…
AFPWINNER: Ruben Amorim
Amorim managed to retain his authority at the end of last season despite presiding over United's worst campaign in 51 years, and he has emerged even stronger after a pre-season in which nearly everything has gone his way. The Portuguese has landed three impressive forwards in Cunha, Mbeumo and Sesko, and they will go a long way to making sure United improve on their meagre total of just 44 league goals last season, the fifth-lowest amount in the division.
Amorim has been able to get to know his squad better and pick strong line ups for pre-season games thanks to having relatively few injuries (only Joshua Zirkzee, Andre Onana and Lisandro Martinez were unavailable),and he has earned some encouraging results, staying unbeaten in the five matches while thrashing Bournemouth 4-1 and comfortably beating West Ham.
To boot, the coach has won his stand-off with unwanted players; Marcus Rashford has gone on loan to Barcelona, Alejandro Garnacho is likely to join Chelsea, and although there are no imminent deals on the table for Antony, Jadon Sancho or Tyrell Malacia, they will not be part of Amorim's squad either. He is instead left with a group of players who want to be at Old Trafford and whom Amorim is happy with.
In the words of Luke Shaw: "There are no stragglers in this group any more. Everyone has to put the team first. He [Amorim] has made that very clear. He’s picking players who he feels will be best for the team and that’s his choice. As players we’re fully behind him and fully behind his ideas and what he wants to implement in the team. We feel like a real team, especially in this pre-season since I’ve been back. The group is so together and that’s something that we need to keep, to make us more of a family and to keep everyone together, driving in the right direction."
AdvertisementGettyLOSER: Rasmus Hojlund
You have to feel sorry for Rasmus Hojlund. While Rashford and Garnacho were desperate to leave United, the Danish striker was desperate to stay. That was why, in a reversal of usual roles, he asked to speak to journalists after scoring in the win against Bournemouth, just as reports of United's interest in Sesko were gathering pace.
"I think my plan is very clear and that is for me to stay and fight for my spot, whatever happens," Hojlund declared. But the Bournemouth game may be the final one he starts for the Red Devils, as he was benched for the subsequent 2-2 draw against Everton and then was an unused substitute against Fiorentina on Saturday.
AC Milan are at the front of the queue to sign him on loan, and although Hojlund could, in theory, return to United in the future, the reality is that his days at Old Trafford look numbered. Hojlund has admitted he did not perform well in scoring just four Premier League goals last season and has worked hard on his game by going through extra video work with Amorim and seeking the advice of ex-Red Devils Peter Schmeichel and Louis Saha. He clearly really wanted to make it work at United; it's too bad that his bosses do not seem to agree.
Getty Images SportWINNER: Bruno Fernandes
Bruno Fernandes thought long and hard when presented with a lucrative offer to join Al-Hilal at the end of May. Joining the Saudi side would have seen him triple his wages and earn £1m per week, setting him and his extended family up for life. United would have also received a handsome transfer fee for a 30-year-old, thus easing their financial difficulties.
But Fernandes said no, listening to Amorim's plea for him to stay with United and lead the rebuild from the ashes, and he has consolidated his position as the club's main figurehead on the pitch over the summer. The midfielder delivered an all-action performance in the win over West Ham while also playing well in the demolition of Bournemouth, and after scoring again (from the penalty spot) against Everton, he did not mince his words, calling his team-mates out for being "lazy" and demanding more signings. The club have listened, too, having since sealed the Sesko deal while also exploring a move for Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba.
Fernandes has also been boosted by the new arrivals and already struck up a strong understanding with Cunha. The Brazilian, along with Mbeumo and Sesko, will make Fernandes' life easier as he will both have better players to finish the many chances he creates and in turn receive more service so he can get back to the high-scoring days of his first two seasons with the club.
But despite the influx of talent, into the Old Trafford dressing room, there can be no doubt who still holds all the power within the squad, and that is the skipper.
Getty Images SportLOSER: Manuel Ugarte & the midfielders
Fernandes aside, none of United's midfielders have had a particularly enjoyable summer. The captain played both as a No.10 and in the midfield two last season, and that continued during pre-season. Sesko's arrival, however, means that the club captain is likely to play more often in a deeper role going forward. Who joins him there on a regular basis, though, is anyone's guess.
Manuel Ugarte made a costly mistake against Everton which further underlined his ball-carrying and passing limitations, and he was subsequently dropped against Fiorentina. Casemiro replaced him in the line up, but his display brought back worrying memories of his performances both in the early stages of last season and in his nightmare 2023-24 campaign, as he was slow to stop counter-attacks and was caught in possession on several occasions.
Kobbie Mainoo, meanwhile, has failed to use this summer to convince Amorim of his long-term worth, even though he is set to stay, unlike his fellow academy graduate Garnacho. The coach urged Mainoo to "increase the rhythm, the pace" during the tour of the United States and only started him in two of the five matches.
After the first game of pre-season against Leeds in Stockholm, Amorim complained of his team's lack of pace, "especially in the middle of the park", which did not say much of his belief in his side's engine room. The fact that United have been trying to sign Baleba even after their spending spree is, meanwhile, another demonstration that the coach is not happy with what his current crop of midfielders have to offer.
