A New Dawn
It is a new dawn at Manchester United—a dawn where soundbites are accompanied by hard work and everyone pulls in the same direction. Ruben Amorim has dropped soundbite after soundbite in pre-season, and so have the players.
Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire emphasized falling in line with Amorim's rules and buying into his vision. Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha, and Benjamin Sesko have all arrived with excitement, thanks to the management and recruitment structure.
For many, this is a new beginning for United. The training ground at Carrington is refurbished, and on the eve of the season, social media was treated to a five-minute montage of the new surroundings. This is the new United.
In pre-season, United went undefeated, with two wins and a draw during the Premier League Summer Series, clinching the title. They followed it up wth a SnapDragon Cup penalty shootout win over Fiorentina at Old Trafford.
There were hot takes that followed the SnapDragon Cup as to the soft underbelly that persists in the outfit. However, United are now heavily linked with Brighton's Carlos Baleba, who could solve that problem.
For a club that was adjudged as needing to sell before they buy, the Red Devils have spent over $200m on transfers. Antony, Jadon Sancho, Tyrell Malacia, and Alejandro Garnacho remain, with the Bomb squad quartet difficult to offload; however, Amorim has also indicated the players could be reintegrated if no sales are made.
Strengthen the Weakness
However, what does this new chapter mean for Manchester United? United finished 15th last season in the Premier League. United have not scored more than 60 goals since 2021. They have only conceded fewer than 50 goals once in that same span.
The only season they conceded less than 50, they finished third. It risks becoming a false dawn. United have overhauled again, especially in attack, and like a brand new wheel, have to fire. Combined, the new frontline bagged over 45 league goals last season alone; United scored 44 as a team.
Amorim admitted in one of his many press conferences out in these United States that he went into games aware of the inevitable. All eyes look to Rasmus Hojlund, especially, meaning he may be on his way out.
2025-26 is the reset button, and United's pre-season has shown good signs. They have conceded a tick under three shots on target a game, and they conceded slightly under four shots on target a game in the 2024-25 season in the Premier League, which ranked top five. They faced 411 shots in total across 38 games, also in the top six bracket for shots faced.
They conceded the most goals in both categories and ranked 11th for goals conceded. Simply put, opponents had a great chance of scoring against United's goal.
Those issues have yet to be addressed. Perhaps the perception is that adding firepower mitigates that. United had more shots than all their pre-season opponents, both in general shots (over 2.5 per game) and shots on target (1 per game). They lost the possession battle once, and averaged over 56% in the other four games. The results have drawn comparisons to Mauricio Pochettino's lone season at Chelsea (2023-24).
Can Amorim succeed where Pochettino stuttered?
Similarly to Amorim, Pochettino's Chelsea played in the Premier League Summer Series, sandwiched in between two friendlies. Both finished with seven points and won the Series. However, Chelsea recorded better outcomes in the games on both sides of the Series.
The situations are by no means the same. One had to deal with a plethora of players, so much so that there was no space to train. The other has the luxury of isolating players. Pochettino was criticised for sticking with a system that did not suit his players.
Chelsea had record injuries from that season and even barely struggled to field an XI at some point. With Amorim, it's his system. For all the good performances of the pre-season, the big question is whether Amorim's players can successfully play the 3-4-2-1 set-up.
The work is in transition. Bruno Fernandes' contribution, throughout pre-season, suggests he should be in the front three as a wide No.8. His presence in a double pivot, especially with Amad Diallo now operating as a wing-back, could leave United with a shortfall defensively and land the right center-back in trouble with 1v1s, or space in behind to capitalize.
The team is a work in progress, but it still does not change the expectations. United are without European football, and Amorim has a full week to walk through tactical sessions. Players like Kobbie Mainoo and Manuel Ugarte should grow to play an important part in the United midfield.
Would Amorim embrace that quickly? United's tricky start to the season compromises them out of the gate. They face three of last season's top five teams in their first five games. Add a tricky Fulham, and anything other than a fast start could erase all the good work done in pre-season.
A pack of Wolves awaits if it is not a great beginning. However, as New Year's resolutions go, this could be the season of turnaround for United. The first step towards the light at the end of the tunnel. The big question is whether Ruben Amorim will be there on the other side.
INEOS have shown they are not afraid to swing the axe. Patience wears thin with the leadership. Sir Jim Ratcliffe replaced Dan Ashworth after just six months despite the expense it cost to get him.
He has hired seven head coaches in 7 years at OGC Nice. CEO Omar Berrada has talked about a centenary title win in two years. Despite United's financial constraints and failure to achieve European football, the Portuguese head coach has received adequate backing for his targets. All fingers point in the direction of Amorim for now, an unpalatable start, and it could change in six weeks.
