Manchester United return to Premier League action for the new season next weekend and they will need to be aware of several major rule changes.
After going unbeaten in a pre-season that spanned Sweden, the United States, and Old Trafford, Manchester United are set for the start of the 2025/26 Premier League campaign.
With wins over West Ham and Bournemouth and draws against Leeds, Everton, and Fiorentina, Ruben Amorim’s side carry strong momentum into a headline-opening fixture against Arsenal.
As always when heading into a new campaign, there are several rule changes made across the European football leagues and the Premier League have three major adjustments.
UtdDistrict will note those latest changes in this article below and how they will impact two Reds in particular over the coming season.
#1 – The eight-second rule
One of the main changes to the upcoming Premier League campaign means that goalkeepers will now be punished for holding onto the ball for longer than eight seconds.
The previous six second rule, which should have resulted in indirect free-kicks, was hardly enforced. Now, referees will warn goalkeepers with a five-second countdown.
Should they hold onto the ball for longer than eight seconds, the punishment will be the award of a corner kick to the opposition team and this is hoped to clamp down on time-wasting.
Of course, at United this will impact André Onana, who looks set to remain between the sticks for Amorim’s side and he will be aware of these changes.
#2 – Only captains can approach referees
Another rule set to be introduced into the Premier League is one that means captains are the only players allowed to approach referees during matches.
The officials can produce yellow cards to players who approach them without permission and behave in a disrespectful manner.
For those teams whose captain plays in goal, they can provide an alternative player before kick-off.
While this is only a recommendation made by the International Football Association Board, the Premier League are planning to adopt it in the new season.
Referees in the Premier League are not huge fans of Bruno Fernandes but he will be the only United player allowed to approach them during fixtures and he will undoubtably continue to do that.
#3 – Double-kick penalties can be retaken
The final major rule change for the upcoming Premier League season stems from one of last year’s most talked-about Champions League incidents.
Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez slipped while taking a penalty in a shootout against Real Madrid, with the ball brushing his standing leg after the strike. The goal was disallowed, no retake was permitted, and Atletico ultimately lost the shootout, ending their campaign.
Under the new rule, now adopted in the Premier League and across Europe, a penalty will be retaken if a player accidentally touches the ball twice during the kick—provided it still finds the net.
Fernandes remains United’s first-choice penalty taker, though his reliability from the spot means he’s unlikely to be affected by the change.
United’s club captain has scored 61 out of an attempted 67 penalties during his career and his last miss came in December 2023. He scored all seven of his spot-kicks last term and has even netted three times from 12-yards during pre-season.
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