Manchester United dismantled Bournemouth 4-1 in their second game of the Premier League Summer Series at the Soldier Field in Chicago on Thursday.
It is pre-season but Ruben Amorim will be delighted with the intensity shown by his players, both on and off the ball. Especially since the performance came against one of the most intense-pressing teams in the Premier League.
“I think they are playing better also because they are connecting better with each other. Not just on the pitch, but off the pitch. I think they are stronger, they are faster. You can see the intensity is completely different [compared to last season].
“I can see the data from the minutes are completely different. It’s important for them to understand that the same players can play a different game,” Amorim had said after the game.
United were impressive vs Cherries
The Cherries have been something of a bogey team in recent times, with United not winning any of their last four games against them.
In fact, Andoni Iraola’s side had beaten the Red Devils 3-0 at Old Trafford in each of their last two home games. So the win was extra special.
The former Athletic Club midfielder was full of praise for the Red Devils, claiming Amorim’s side looked “a hell of a team” and were far ahead of Bournemouth at present.
Speaking to the media after the game, Iraola said: “We are very far right now from United, I think United is a hell of a team and they’ve signed also very well.
Iraola praised United
“Today they showed that they are above us in this moment… We still have some time to prepare but we are not probably as good as we looked the other day and as bad as we looked today – somewhere in the middle. We have to continue preparing [for] the season.”
The team looked slow and laborious against Leeds in the opening pre-season game, but the 20-time English league champions have looked a different beast since stepping on US soil.
They looked very sharp against West Ham in the first half and looked even better against the team from the South Coast.
It must be remembered that United were without both their new signings for the game, and hopefully, they will look even better once they step out onto the pitch.
Feature image Patrick McDermott via Getty Images
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Ayantan Chowdhury
Ayantan has worked for 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites but his heart was always set on writing about his favourite club. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25
