Alex Turk
Fan writer
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Ruben Amorim looks on in training jacket before pre-season matchGetty Images
Here we go again, then. Another season of Manchester United is creeping over the horizon.
With fixtures against Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City among the club's first five in the Premier League, use this week as your last chance to take a breather...
So, what is my United hope for this campaign?
There is reason for optimism. It would be almost impossible to endure a worse time of things than last term, for starters.
That could be a blessing in disguise for Ruben Amorim. A return to Europe would be viewed as progress. And that has to be the aim.
Goals were the Red Devils' kryptonite last season. They notched up just 44 in the league but have responded impressively this summer.
The arrivals of Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko, who scored more league goals combined than Amorim's entire squad in 2024-25, should solve that issue.
United have also shown ambition to fix their glaring midfield problem before the deadline, too. Carlos Baleba, or a similar alternative, could prove transformational.
What about my United fear?
Amorim got a free pass last campaign, given the mess he inherited and the credit in the bank from his impressive reign at Sporting.
He will immediately be under scrutiny this time around, which makes United's difficult Premier League start all the more daunting.
I like Amorim and believe he is the right coach to spearhead this project. Thomas Frank and Oliver Glasner have proved that a three-at-the-back system can thrive with the correct personnel.
But if United are languishing in mid-table by the winter, I do fear for his future. And then all the current optimism and hope would vanish as yet another rebuild begins.
Patience is crucial over the coming months, unless the suffering extends into the new year and relegation actually is on the agenda this time around.
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