Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has warned that his players should take note of an important pattern when it comes to Sunderland ahead of Saturday’s clash.
Sunderland climbed back into the Premier League for the 2025-26 season after the Black Cats defeated Sheffield United 2-1 in the Championship play-off final in May.
The newly promoted Premier League side have had a strong start to the campaign under Regis Le Bris, who arrived as head coach at the Stadium of Light in 2024.
Sunderland have lost only once in their opening six Premier League matches ahead of Regis Le Bris’ men visiting Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon.
The Black Cats have won three of their league matches and are fifth in the table, while Manchester United have picked up only two victories under Ruben Amorim.
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Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim acknowledges the fans after his team’s defeat during the Premier League match between Brentford and Manchester United at the Gtech Community Stadium in 2025 in Brentford, England.
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
Ruben Amorim explains what he has noticed about Sunderland ahead of Man Utd’s Premier League match at Old Trafford
The Red Devils have lost three of their opening six Premier League matches of the 2025-26 season, including Manchester United’s last outing against Brentford.
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Brentford hosted United in the Premier League last Saturday and Keith Andrews’ men clinched all three points at the Gtech Community Stadium with a 3-1 win.
United manager Ruben Amorim was at the Carrington training complex on Friday afternoon and dropped his two cents on Sunderland’s form ahead of Saturday’s tie.
The 40-year-old Portuguese coach said that both he and his United first-team players need to “pay attention” to the “details” in the Premier League table.
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“It’s going to be a really tough match, they are doing really well,” he explained, as per the Manchester Evening News.
“When you see their games, they draw with one less player in the final of the game.
“They draw a point and then win in the final play against Brentford. I think the details are changing a lot [in] the table, so we need to pay attention to that.
“So, it’s a team that plays really well, with a clear system, 4-3-3 with a lot of rotations on the side of the pitch.
“They will be confident and know we are under pressure. We need to be prepared for that. It will be a tough match.”
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Ruben Amorim sends a clear-cut message to Man Utd fans going into the Premier League match against Sunderland
Amorim does face major pressure going into the Sunderland match at Old Trafford after the Red Devils’ poor start to the 2025-26 season under his reign.
The speculation around the United boss’ future has intensified and Amorim has refused to offer belief to United fans by suggesting actions speak louder than words.
“It is not the time to say, it is time to show,” Amorim said.
“I can look at the games this season, for me they are completely different, there are some things the same, some different.
“There are other things we cannot change. In the other games, we are not the same team in some details. I have nothing to say in this moment. My job is to prepare the team.”
Fifth-place Sunderland and 14th-place United will meet at Old Trafford for a 3pm kick-off time in the UK for their Premier League match on Saturday.