Rúben Amorim will be hoping to have at least one player returning to action as Manchester United line up to face West Ham in pre-season.
Manchester United have touched down in the United States for the next phase of their pre-season tour, with Rúben Amorim continuing preparations for his first full season at the helm.
Their opening fixture ended in a 0-0 draw with Leeds United in Stockholm, though there were encouraging signs from Leny Yoro, Kobbie Mainoo, and new addition Matheus Cunha.
Next on the agenda is a clash with Graham Potter’s West Ham in New Jersey, part of the Premier League Summer Series alongside Everton and Bournemouth.
The squad will be based in Chicago for the 10-day trip, taking on the remaining teams before returning to Old Trafford to face David de Gea’s Fiorentina in their final pre-season test before the new season begins.
Amorim making his players work hard
With United’s pre-season now in full swing, Amorim has been upping the intensity of his training sessions – something Yoro was keen to point out after the first full day at Chicago Fire’s training facilities.
“Like the coach said, we need to change our mentality in training. We need to be more… We need to train more harder,” the Frenchman explained to club media. “I think you’re going to see on the image [training video] that today was intense.”
Too often last season, Amorim noted United’s lack of physical presence on the pitch as a significant reason why they were being ripped through in the Premier League. This summer is his chance to fix that.
As Yoro mentioned, changing the team’s mentality in training is the first step. The entire squad must work harder, more efficiently, and with greater physicality over the next three weeks to properly prepare themselves for the 2025/26 campaign.
Amorim will be hoping for Zirkzee’s return
The only surprise omission from the opening pre-season fixture was that Joshua Zirkzee had remained behind, as he was nursing a minor injury. However, he has returned to training, and Amorim will hope he is fit to play at least 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, Harry Maguire has now joined the squad in Chicago after initially missing the flight due to a personal matter that has since been resolved. However, there is still a potential issue regarding his fitness after he played only 18 minutes against Leeds, coming on at half-time and off again.
As for Bryan Mbeumo’s initial minutes in Red, the Cameroon international and new United signing may not start. He missed Brentford’s pre-season preparations, instead working out in the gym until his move to Old Trafford was complete, which may mean his fitness is a little behind that of the others.
Although André Onana and Lisandro Martínez are both part of the squad, they are not yet fit to play as they continue to recover from their respective injuries.
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