Ruben Amorim Faces Four Critical Challenges as Man Utd's Pre-Season Begins
Every Manchester United supporter is desperately hoping that the 2024-25 season represents rock bottom for the club at Old Trafford.
In reality, conditions might deteriorate further before any improvement occurs at the Theatre of Dreams, considering the stadium's declining state, with water leaking through the roof and numerous structural problems that mirror a team which reached remarkably poor standards during the previous campaign.
Ruben Amorim, who took over from Erik ten Hag as head coach in November, is eager to establish a fresh beginning, though the club's first post-season tour in recent memory extended their disappointing period.
Finally, Manchester United can anticipate Amorim's inaugural pre-season preparations and a new campaign ahead. Nevertheless, they face an extremely challenging opening to the upcoming season, meaning four crucial questions surrounding the Red Devils must be resolved quickly.
1. What Does the Future Hold for Rashford and Garnacho?
Both Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford maintain strained relationships with Amorim, and both players appear destined for departures this summer.
Although the former stayed at the club past the January transfer period despite temporarily losing his place in December following a disciplinary matter, the latter moved to Aston Villa on a temporary deal for the season's remainder.
Rashford showed flashes of quality for Villa but failed to convince the club to secure his permanent transfer, with United allegedly demanding £40 million ($54.4 million) for his outright sale. Barcelona maintain interest, and the winger is reportedly holding out for the current La Liga titleholders, but they're now supposedly pursuing alternative options.
Currently, there's no clear destination for Rashford, who, alongside Garnacho, certainly lacks a future under Amorim's Manchester United. The Portuguese manager instructed the Argentine to seek new employment at last season's conclusion, but limited interest has emerged for the dynamic winger after Chelsea and Napoli appeared as possible destinations in January.
The coach will undoubtedly want their situations resolved before pre-season begins, but these appear to be problems that may persist.
2. How Will New-Look Attack Shape Up?
Despite their terrible 2024-25 season, Manchester United have managed to attract top-quality players.
This continues to be a massive institution, and even the apparent decline and missing Champions League qualification for next season won't prevent players from joining the club this summer. Furthermore, they've been encouraged by Bruno Fernandes' choice to stay in Manchester despite Middle Eastern interest.
The club's initial major acquisition was securing Matheus Cunha from Wolverhampton Wanderers as Amorim seeks to strengthen an attack that managed only 44 Premier League goals last season. Alongside the talented Brazilian, United are also committed to signing Brentford's Bryan Mbeumo, who is prioritizing a transfer to Old Trafford.
Cunha and Mbeumo scored 35 league goals between them last term, and are expected to form two-thirds of Amorim's revamped attack. While Cunha is an elegant ball-carrier who enjoys collecting possession in deeper positions and advancing with it, Mbeumo is a clinical finisher who proves devastating in counter-attacks.
Numerous United newcomers in recent seasons have found it difficult to adapt, but most believe these two together could transform a stagnant United offensive unit. The crucial question remains who will complete the front three? Joshua Zirkzee showed potential in his first year, while Rasmus Højlund struggled to deliver in his second season. Might they recruit another player?
3. What Will be Ruben Amorim's Preferred Back Three?
We understand that Amorim will stick with his 3-4-2-1 formation, though fans are demanding modifications to the manager's build-up approach which featured the central defender in his back three advancing into midfield but apparently serving little more than a passive function.
Tactical adjustments will be essential for the Portuguese coach to ensure United are better positioned to dominate games through their possession play. However, that conversation can be postponed for now.
During his time in charge so far, injuries have stopped Amorim from settling on a preferred back three. He's been constantly required to rotate, so it will be fascinating to observe which combination becomes his potential first-choice as the summer progresses. The manager currently has Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui, Leny Yoro, Harry Maguire, Ayden Heaven, Luke Shaw and Lisandro Martínez vying for three starting positions.
Yoro, Maguire and Martínez looks like United's strongest combination theoretically, but the Argentine will be absent for the entire pre-season and the beginning of 2025-26 due to a knee problem.
4. Which Youngsters Could Emerge?
A mix of injuries and a packed fixture schedule created additional chances for the club's renowned academy to shine last season.
Chido Obi-Martin (who arrived from Arsenal), Harry Amass and Tyler Fredricson were among the young players to appear in the Premier League, while 21-year-old Toby Collyer made positive impressions during his brief outings.
There's potential for the mentioned players to progress further in Amorim's first complete season, though the lack of European competition may restrict their opportunities to domestic cup matches if they aren't sent on loan.
Nevertheless, the next breakthrough talent from Manchester United's academy seems always within reach, and many are monitoring 19-year-old Sékou Koné's development closely after he made an impact during the club's post-season Far East tour. Like Heaven and Chido Obi, Koné was acquired by United rather than developed internally, and there are great expectations that the Mali U20 international could experience a 2022-23 Kobbie Mainoo-style breakthrough season.
Chances will present themselves for Koné and numerous other promising youngsters during pre-season.