Ruben Amorim is under pressure to hit the ground running with Manchester United in 2025/26.
The first half-season under Ruben Amorim ended in disaster with Manchester United finishing 15th in the Premier League table and missing out on European qualification entirely.
Losing the Europa League final against Tottenham was a major blow for the Red Devils, but the silver lining is that Amorim can put his full focus on succeeding in the Premier League.
United’s first pre-season fixture of the summer is against Leeds United on July 19th and Amorim has set strict deadlines for pre-season to ensure players hit peak fitness levels.
Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images
Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images
Joshua Zirkzee under pressure to impress in pre-season
Last summer, Erik ten Hag was far from impressed with United’s performances in the 2024 pre-season fixtures.
United lost 1-0 to Rosenborg in the first pre-season fixture in July, although summer signing Joshua Zirkzee had not yet joined up with the squad.
However, Ten Hag was reportedly far from impressed with Zirkzee’s conditioning once he did join up with the squad last summer.
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As per The Sun, Zirkzee arrived at United “overweight” which frustrated Ten Hag and explains why he wasn’t a starter at the beginning of the 2024/25 campaign.
Zirkzee scored on his United debut but then went on a goalless streak that included a humiliating first-half substitution against Newcastle United.
This summer, Zirkzee will need to start the season better and Amorim will expect him to arrive at Carrington in good condition ready to impress in the pre-season tour of the United States.
Joshua Zirkzee faces fierce competition at Man United
After a slow start to the season, Zirkzee turned things around to become a fan favourite at United last season.
Amorim praised Zirkzee’s improvement last season after showing character to come back from his setbacks.
But unlike last season where Zirkzee was competing with Rasmus Hojlund for a starting spot, he faces plenty of competition from this summer’s signings.
READ MORE: Joshua Zirkzee reveals Man Utd’s ‘humble’ attacker ‘does everything’ for Ruben Amorim’s men, he is ‘always talking’
United have already signed Matheus Cunha, and the new £62.5m star will challenge Cunha for a spot at No.10 or up front.
The same can be said for Bryan Mbeumo, with the Brentford star closing in on a move to United as Ineos continue negotiations. Both Mbeumo and Cunha will want to start in the No.10 positions, where Zirkzee played at his best last season.