Man Utd Pre-Season: The Four Biggest Questions for Ruben Amorim | OneFootball

There’s not a single Manchester United fan who isn’t hopeful that 2024–25 will prove to be as bad as it gets at Old Trafford.

Well, in a literal sense, things may continue to get worse before they improve at the Theatre of Dreams, given the stadium’s degradation, with its leaky roof and various other structural concerns fittingly playing host to a team that sank to impressively low depths last season.

Ruben Amorim, who succeeded Erik ten Hag as manager last November, will be keen to draw a line and move on, although the club’s maiden post-season tour of modern times meant their misery was prolonged.

Now, Man Utd can finally look forward to Amorim’s first pre-season with the club and a fresh campaign. However, they’ve been dealt a mightily tough start to the new season, so four of the key questions that currently surround the Red Devils will have to be answered sooner rather than later.

1. What Does the Future Hold for Rashford and Garnacho?

Marcus Rashford spent the second half of last season on loan at Aston Villa. / IMAGO/Visionhaus

Both Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford have troubled relationships with Amorim, and the pair look poised to move on this summer.

While the former remained at the club beyond the winter transfer window despite briefly losing his spot in December due to a disciplinary issue, the latter joined Aston Villa on loan for the remainder of the season.

Rashford impressed in spells for the Villans but didn’t do enough to convince the club to purchase him outright, with United reportedly wanting £40 million ($54.4 million) for his permanent sale. Barcelona do hold an interest, and the winger is supposedly waiting on the reigning La Liga champions, but they’re now said to be focusing on other targets.

As it stands, there’s no obvious next destination for Rashford, who, like Garnacho, surely doesn’t have a future with Amorim’s Red Devils. The Portuguese coach told the Argentine to find a new club at the end of last season, but there hasn’t yet been much interest in the spritely winger after Chelsea and Napoli emerged as potential suitors in January.

The manager will surely want their futures decided by the time pre-season rolls around, but these look like issues that could linger.

2. How Will New-Look Attack Shape Up?

Man Utd made Matheus Cunha their first signing of the summer. / IMAGO/justpictures.ch

Despite their hideous 2024–25 campaign, Manchester United have still been able to attract premier talent.

This remains a seismic institution, and not even the perceived decline and absence of Champions League football next season will deter players from joining the club this summer. Moreover, they’ve been boosted by Bruno Fernandes’ decision to remain in Manchester despite interest from the Middle East.

The club’s first big splash was the signing of Matheus Cunha from Wolverhampton Wanderers as Amorim attempts to bolster an attack that scored a measly 44 Premier League goals last season. In addition to the maverick Brazilian, United are also determined to sign Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo, who is prioritising a move to Old Trafford.

Cunha and Mbeumo combined for 35 league goals last term, and are set to make-up two third of Amorim’s new-look attack. While Cunha is a silky ball carrier who likes to pick up the ball in deeper areas and drive with it, Mbeumo is an efficient finisher who’s ever so destructive in transition.

So many of United’s newbies in recent years have struggled to settle, but the majority believe that these two in tandem could revolutionise a stagnant United attack. The key question is who’ll join the pair in the front three? Joshua Zirkzee offered promise in year one, while Rasmus Højlund failed to fire in year two. Could they bring someone else in?

3. What Will be Ruben Amorim’s Preferred Back Three?

Will Harry Maguiore continue to marshal Amorim’s back three next season? / IMAGO/Pro Sports Images

We know that Amorim will not deviate away from his 3-4-2-1, although supporters are clamouring for a tweak to be made to the manager’s build-up structure which involved the central centre-back in his back three moving into midfield but seemingly playing no more than a redundant role.

Tactical tweaks will be necessary for the Portuguese to make to ensure United are better placed to control matches via their work in possession. However, that discussion can be saved for a later date.

Throughout his tenure so far, injuries have prevented Amorim from deciding upon a preferred back three. He’s constantly been forced to chop and change, so it’ll be interesting to see which trio emerges as his potential first-choice as the summer develops. The manager currently has Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui, Leny Yoro, Harry Maguire, Ayden Heaven, Luke Shaw and Lisandro Martínez competing for three starting spots.

Yoro, Maguire and Martínez appears to be United’s strongest on paper, but the Argentine will miss all of pre-season and the start of 2025–26 due to a knee injury.

4. Which Youngsters Could Emerge?

Sékou Koné could be the next academy star to emerge. / IMAGO/Pro Sports Images

A combination of injuries and a congested fixture list meant there were more opportunities for the club’s famed academy to come to the fore last season.

Chido Obi-Martin (who joined from Arsenal), Harry Amass and Tyler Fredricson were among the teenagers to feature in the Premier League, while 21-year-old Toby Collyer impressed on his limited appearances.

There’s scope for the aforementioned names to develop further in Amorim’s first full season, although the absence of European football may limit their chances to the domestic cup competitions if they aren’t loaned out.

However, the next big thing to emerge out of Manchester United is seemingly never too far away, and many are watching the development of 19-year-old Sékou Koné closely after he left an impression during the club’s post-season tour of the Far East. Like Heaven and Chido Obi, Koné was purchased by United as opposed to being nurtured, and there are high hopes that the Mali U20 international could enjoy a 2022–23 Kobbie Mainoo-like breakout campaign.

Opportunities will arrive for Koné and plenty other starlets in pre-season.

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