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Saturday 19 July 2025 17:06
Ruben Amorim felt his side experienced a positive test at the hands of Premier League opposition in Leeds United, during our first pre-season match of Tour 2025 in Sweden.
The Strawberry Arena in Stockholm – the scene of our Europa League triumph in 2017 – played host to the Roses clash, which saw opportunities for both sides in a testing encounter.
Matheus Cunha and Diego Leon featured for the Reds for the first time with both men showing promise on their maiden outings.
The Reds could not break the deadlock in Scandinavia despite efforts against the crossbar from Casemiro and Kobbie Mainoo, but there were signs of encouragement from two entirely different XIs – with wholesale changes having been made at the half-time interval – as we created a flurry opportunities particularly towards the end of both halves.
While Ruben admitted there is still work for his side to do ahead of the season proper, he took a positive view of proceedings when speaking with MUTV after full-time…
Amorim: Cunha showed what we need Video
Amorim: Cunha showed what we need
Ruben Amorim on what Cunha offered and how United can improve, after the first game of summer 2025…
“I think it was a pre-season game, I think the distances between the sectors was big really sometimes,” Ruben told MUTV’s Mark Sullivan.
“We suffered a little bit when we tried to press high, they kick the ball, win the second ball and they were a danger in that moment. We have a lack of pace, especially in the middle of the park, and you can feel it, [so] that’s hard to bring the ball [forward]. But we created chances.
“We have a lot to do but it was a first test against a Premier League team, with two different teams, so it was a good test.”
Of course, pre-season also brings the opportunity to bring the squad together for an extended period before the league campaign begins in earnest, and that was recognised by Ruben, who is happy with the feeling within his group of players.
“I felt the environment is really good, of course sometimes we’re going to struggle, but what I feel since the first moment is we are going to struggle but we struggle together and that is the beginning of everything. And then we have to put the quality because this club is not just about the effort, it’s the quality and you have to win games.
“As a group, we have a lot to improve, the speed of the game, all the details, so, yeah, we are going to improve.”
The Reds will now return to Manchester before departing for the USA next week, ahead of our participation in the Premier League Summer Series, with a first piece of matchday action in that competition pitting us against West Ham United in New Jersey next weekend.
And as well as upping our physical preparations for the Premier League season while Stateside, Ruben is looking forward to the opportunity to engage with our magnificent worldwide fanbase in yet another part of the globe.
“[Meeting fans] it [was] the same in the last tour,” continued our head coach. “We feel that they [the fans] deserve more in every aspect so we are going to give. I think it is our responsibility to interact with our fans and we have that in our group.
“We are going to do that. And also in that department, we are going to be closer, [that’s] what Manchester United should be.”
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Saturday 19 July 2025 17:06
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