Premier League 2025-26 preview No 14: Manchester United

The Guardian

a day ago

Guardian writers' predicted position: 9th (NB: this is not necessarily Will Unwin's prediction but the average of our writers' tips)
Last season's position: 15th
The big hope is that Manchester United hit rock bottom last season and things cannot get any worse. They are in effect starting again because ending up 15th in the Premier League resulted in many executives, fans and players waking up in a cold sweat. Expectations within the fanbase are impressively low, not knowing what to expect from a team that stumbled through an entire campaign.
There is no European distraction for Ruben Amorim, allowing him plenty of time on the training ground to get his ideas across. When the Portuguese head coach succeeded Erik ten Hag last November, his role was more firefighter than problem solver. He was allowed to evaluate the squad quickly and made his decision on who were and were not up for the battle that the club found themselves in. Those players have either left or are in the process of doing so, leaving behind those who possess the character, if not the technical expertise, that Amorim thinks can benefit his plans.
Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo have arrived in the hope they will ignite an underperforming team and club. United scored a pitiful 44 goals in 38 Premier League games, causing much embarrassment. The pair have the capabilities to create and score goals, skills that were lacking among the players Amorim inherited. After those deals were completed for a combined £130m, the search for a competent No 9 eventually concluded with Benjamin Sesko joining from RB Leipzig for £73.3m to fill the void, leaving plenty of pressure on the new front three.
Winning only seven home games out of 19 last time around was a stain on the club. Amorim will need to ensure his solutions work as they cannot be repeated. Arsenal visit on the opening weekend; the display and the result will provide an indication as to whether things will be different this time around.
Arriving mid-season is always difficult for a head coach, especially when his ideas did not align with what was available within the squad, but Amorim was insistent on playing 3-4-3 regardless. He was given a relatively free ride because what had gone before was so utterly awful, but a 15th-placed finish and a meek Europa League final loss to Tottenham were clear indicators of the rebuild required. Ideally, Amorim would have carried out a complete overhaul of the squad but finances have dictated otherwise. If things do not start well, he may need to alter his ideals and become more pragmatic, or he may become the latest coach to fail to turn the ship around.
After a plethora of redundancies and constant cost-cutting measures, United are aiming to return to stable ground soon but these actions do little for the morale of the employees who have stayed. Many more long-serving staff left in the final weeks of last season and over the summer, pleased to get out of the club. A lack of European football will irritate the accountants at Old Trafford but Sir Jim Ratcliffe will hope the promise of a new stadium will appease fans. A lot are angry over an increase in ticket prices and some being forced to move seats, creating an uneasy atmosphere.
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A lot – but not all – the eggs have been placed in a Cunha-shaped basket. The Brazilian is exactly the sort of player Amorim wanted as one of his No 10s and he has shown at Wolves what he is capable of. He likes the ball at his feet and can do amazing things when he is given the freedom to do so. The Brazilian is a natural talent, a street footballer who has matured into a Premier League player, but one man does not make a team. His temperament has come into question, too, after two suspensions following losses of composure last season, but United need some fire after looking meek for far too long.
Rasmus Højlund really does try extremely hard but does not look up to the job and his scoring record (26 goals in 95 games) reflects that, leaving opportunities for Chido Obi to be Sesko's support act. Amorim offered Obi opportunities late in the season to come off the bench to try to bring greater energy to the forward line. Obi arrived from Arsenal a year ago, a sign of intent that the club want to bring in high-potential players as part of a long-term strategy. He scored 14 goals across 23 matches in various age groups and will be eager to build on that.
It is quite difficult to pick one individual considering almost no one impressed throughout last season, at least on a consistent basis. Kobbie Mainoo never fitted into what Amorim had planned and was moved around or sat on the bench, while the head coach insisted the England midfielder had plenty to improve on and needed not to listen to the hype. Amorim does not think he can play regularly in the defensive role he was utilised in under Ten Hag, requiring someone with greater mobility in the position, so he will need to decide if he can adapt or he may need to depart.