Ruben Amorim will get his first chance to assess his Manchester United squad at Carrington on Monday morning.
Manchester United begin pre-season training on Monday as preparations officially begin for the upcoming 2025/26 campaign.
There will be huge pressure on Ruben Amorim and United to hit the ground running after the extreme disappointment of last season, including a club-worst finish in the Premier League and the defeat in the Europa League final.
Amorim has set strict deadlines to help players hit peak fitness levels this summer. Last year, it was an alarming issue under Erik ten Hag.
Erik ten Hag on the sidelines as Manchester United face Rosenborg.
Photo by OLE MARTIN WOLD/NTB/AFP via Getty Images
Man United players triggered fitness rant in 2024 pre-season
When he first arrived as head coach in November, Amorim insisted United must run more in matches, and in the months that followed, he often pointed out that his side were outfought and outrun.
Amorim wants more physicality in his side, and that starts with work in pre-season on the training pitch and in the gym.
Ten Hag sent similar messages to his players during his time as manager, and the Dutchman was far from impressed when United lost their first pre-season friendly last summer.
United lost 1-0 to Rosenborg in mid-July, and Ten Hag cut a frustrated figure on the sidelines as his side suffered defeat.
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After the match, Ten Hag insisted that his players fell well below his expected standards for both fitness and performance levels.
As quoted by The Guardian, Ten Hag launched a rant at his players in his post-match interview: “We play pre-season but at Man United the standard is you win games and definitely don’t lose.
“The performance is more important and the performance was below standards. We can make good on everything that was bad, but I am not that guy. As an individual you must make sure you are fit.
“I know you cannot be match fit, so we need these games.”
Man United players have been working hard over summer
Amorim has already made some bold calls this summer with five players axed from pre-season as Ineos look to trim the squad.
United’s head coach knows the players he can trust in his squad, and many of them have taken it upon themselves to stay fit this summer by doing extra work.
Kobbie Mainoo and Leny Yoro trained together after joining each other for their summer holidays. Both youngsters will want to make a strong start in pre-season as they look to take a step up in 2025/26.
Meanwhile, Harry Maguire and Rasmus Hojlund trained together, with the latter praised for looking “sharp” in his shooting session.
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Midfielder Manuel Ugarte has also shared videos of himself working hard behind the scenes to work on his fitness ahead of the start of pre-season training next week.
United’s first friendly of the summer is against Leeds United on July 19 and Amorim will hope to be in a better spot than Ten Hag was last year.