Rúben Amorim spoke on his hopes for the new season in the pre-match press conference as Manchester United open their Premier League campaign against Arsenal (16:30 BST).
Manchester United go into the new season on a positive note after a promising pre-season campaign, which saw them win the Premier League Summer Series and the Snapdragon Cup.
Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo have fully integrated themselves into Rúben Amorim’s squad, even with the former Brentford forward not featuring until the last game of the US tour against David Moyes’ Everton.
Fellow new signing Diego Leon also played regular minutes in the USA, despite only joining the club from Paraguay this summer. Amorim appears to be happy to include him in the first team already, a promising sign for the young wing-back.
While Benjamin Šeško didn’t feature on tour, he has joined the squad for training ahead of the Arsenal clash and could be set for his United debut after his move from RB Leipzig.
Andre Onana and Joshua Zirkzee also returned to team training ahead of the Premier League opening weekend, bolstering Amorim’s hopes of a win against his former star striker, Viktor Gyokeres, who is likely to lead the line for Mikel Arteta’s side.
Amorim names his hopes for the new season
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Amorim spoke on his hopes for the new season after a good summer in the transfer market and impressive performances in pre-season.
“It’s hard to know.,” said the United manager. “We cannot change everything in four weeks, but we are better. We are training harder and are more prepared to cope with the demands of the game. I’m really more confident, that is clear. Step by step, we will be a better team.”
“We want to return to Europe. We have to be realistic with our fans. We will have to fight a lot because there are more teams with time together than us. We have to focus game by game. We want to win against Arsenal.”
Amorim is desparate to give United fans something they can cheer about this season, but he will have to begin the campaign without several key players, who also missed pre-season.
“Licha [Martínez] and [Noussair] Mazraoui are out, they cannot play this game. Josh [Zirkzee] and Andre [Onana] are recovering and are options. We’ll see.”
Where could Mount play on Sunday?
Amorim’s affection for Mason Mount is well known, as the former Sporting CP manager famously said: “I love that kid” in his first days as the new United boss.
Against Fiorentina, Mount played as a false nine, with Cunha and Mbeumo flanking him on either side in a very dynamic front three. Following the final pre-season fixture, Mount’s efforts last Saturday were hailed as “unbelievable”.
However, Amorim has today suggested that Mount could play in the double pivot, despite not featuring there in pre-season.
“Maybe Mason Mount is a player who can play in that position [deep midfield] if we want something different. But we have players to cope and win games in the Premier League.”
He could partner either Manuel Ugarte or Casemiro to add more energy to the midfield, potentially allowing Kobbie Mainoo or Bruno Fernandes to play higher up the pitch, maybe even as the centre forward.
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