Rúben Amorim has explained a key new aspect in his Manchester United squad that he felt he was missing at Old Trafford last season.
Last season, Manchester United finished 15th in the Premier League table – the first time in the competition’s history they had finished in the bottom half, barely scraping above 40 points.
Rúben Amorim consistently pointed to the team’s lack of athleticism and fitness compared to other Premier League sides as the crux of their issues, and so far across pre-season, they have looked much better.
After all players were given tailored fitness routines to follow during their holidays, Amorim’s Reds have returned looking fit and ready for the season, and there is a much tighter bond between the players.
While the 2-1 win against West Ham in New Jersey was impressive, it was the 4-1 demolition of Bournemouth that has captured the attention of many fans.
Amorim grateful to new leadership group
Earlier this week, United boss Amorim sat down with the club’s media to discuss the changes he has observed during pre-season so far.
The 40-year-old highlighted that he feels his group have become more of a family. He spoke about how there is finally a leadership group in place who welcome new players to the club and make them feel at home, buying into the project from day one.
“I think we are getting to one point, I know that this is still really early, but I feel in the group that if someone comes to our group now, I will not have to fight all the fights,” Amorim said. “And I felt that last year.
“Now I feel that I have a group, and I have a leadership group inside the team that will help me with that kind of situation.”
Fernandes staying helps fix dressing room discourse
The growing bonds between the club’s players have been drawn in parallel with the axing of five previous squad members, with Alejandro Garnacho being the shock name.
Wle Marcus Rashford, Tyrell Malacia, Jadon Sancho, and Antony have all been away from the squad since the start of 2025. Garnacho was an integral part of Amorim’s starting XIs before he was banished from the first-team.
While Garnacho is a fantastic young winger, the reported atmosphere surrounding the player and his fractured relationship with Amorim was leading to division in the dressing room. But, as Luke Shaw put it, there are “no stragglers” left in the side.
While the example set from Garnacho’s exit may have played a role in bonding the current crop of United players, the more significant factor will have been Bruno Fernandes rejecting transfer offers from Saudi sides Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr, opting to stay at United.
Fernandes, a club captain, is the top dog of the leadership group Amorim describes, and has been seen spending plenty of time with new arrivals Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, and Diego Leon, helping them settle into United.
A player with the calibre of Fernandes rejecting a £100 million contract offer and choosing to stay at the club cements Amorim’s project in stone. The Portuguese international has given his head coach the perfect cornerstone for his project – proof and belief that his ideas can work.