Matheus Cunha is expected to play his first unofficial minutes as Manchester United line up to face Leeds in their first of five pre-season fixtures.
Manchester United are set to open their pre-season campaign with a meeting against Leeds United in Stockholm, Sweden.
Following a 15th-place finish in last season’s Premier League, Rúben Amorim’s side have arranged a tough schedule to prepare for the 2025/26 season, featuring four matches against top-flight English opposition and a home fixture against Fiorentina at Old Trafford.
After the Leeds match, United will travel to the United States to take on West Ham, Bournemouth, and Everton as part of the Premier League Summer Series.
With the Leeds clash being the first of five pre-season fixtures, fans will be eager to catch a first glimpse of new signings Matheus Cunha and Diego Leon in action.
Amorim’s first XI of 2025/26
After two weeks of pre-season training, Amorim will be starting to form a basic idea of how he wants his 2025/26 side to look on the opening day of the season, although some, such as Joshua Zirkzee and André Onana, have not travelled to Sweden due to minor injuries.
With Onana recovering from a hamstring issue, Altay Bayındır looks set to start the fixture in goal, although it’s likely that one of Dermott Mee or Tom Heaton may have a run out in the second half.
As for the back three of Amorim’s trademark 3-4-2-1 formation, the head coach may want to select Noussair Mazraoui, Matthijs de Ligt, and Leny Yoro from right to left, for the first half, as they are widely seen as his current first-choice trio at the back.
Others, like Harry Maguire, Ayden Heaven, and Luke Shaw, may feature after half time, with Amorim expected to make wholesale changes.
In midfield, the head coach could opt for caution and select Casemiro alongside Bruno Fernandes, with the former earning Amorim’s trust towards the back end of last campaign, and the club captain expected to play a deeper role next season.
However, with heavy rotation expected, there will be plenty of space for Kobbie Mainoo, Manuel Ugarte, and others to express themselves in Sweden before heading to the USA. As for the wing-backs, Patrick Chinazaekpere Dorgu and Diogo Dalot are likely to start in those positions.
Although Amad is expected to become the first-choice right wing-back once Bryan Mbeumo arrives, he will likely start in the front three against Leeds, with Rasmus Højlund in the striker position as Zirkzee stayed at Carrington due to injury.
Højlund is very much a player looking for redemption this coming season after a poor showing last campaign, despite some “underrated” moments toward the end.
United fans will be able to see Cunha in red for the first time on Saturday afternoon, with the Brazilian signing looking set to start to make his unofficial debut for the club.
United predicted XI vs Leeds
Bayındır, Mazraoui, De Ligt, Yoro, Dalot, Casemiro, Fernandes, Dorgu, Amad, Højlund, Cunha.
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