Manchester United news as Ruben Amorim's men open the 2025/26 season with a defeat against Arsenal
Matheus Cunha
Matheus Cunha is an immediate favourite at Old Trafford(Image: Manchester United via Getty Imag)
Manchester United's 2025/26 season kickstarted with a narrow defeat to Arsenal on Sunday. Ruben Amorim's men failed to take their chances at Old Trafford in what was an encouraging performance.
The only goal of the game came in the first-half courtesy of Riccardo Calafiori's header. United created a number of opportunities with new signings Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo both coming close.
There were plenty of positives for Amorim to build on in the coming weeks. Patrick Dorgu and Matthijs de Ligt impressed while the early signs of a relationship blossoming between Cunha and Mbeumo are encouraging.
Here, the Manchester Evening News brings you some moments you may have missed...
Mindset says it all
Last season, one of the biggest problems within United's team was their attitude. So many times did players seem disinterested after defeats. Fortunately, it looks as though Amorim has worked on that.
Amad
Amad looks disappointed after Man United's loss to Arsenal
When the final whistle went and Arsenal players celebrated, there was a real feeling of disappointment within the players. Some United players, including Cunha, Matthijs de Ligt and Leny Yoro, all dropped to the floor.
Following a season where they were constantly short of quality compared to their opponent, United matched, if not outperformed, Arsenal on Sunday and the reaction of the players.
True Garnacho feeling
As expected, Alejandro Garnacho was nowhere to be seen at Old Trafford for Sunday's game amid ongoing uncertainty over his squad. Despite his threat, there doesn't seem to be dissatisfaction within the fanbase over his exclusion.
Alejandro Garnacho's portrait outside Old Trafford
Alejandro Garnacho's portrait outside Old Trafford
Before the clash with the Gunners, a photographer captured a portrait of Garnacho outside Old Trafford that had been tampered with. It appears that one supporter has marked the picture of the forward with an 'X' over his face.
Stretford End favourite
Cunha and Mbeumo both showed glimpses of what United can expect this season and were perhaps unfortunate not to produce a goal contribution between them.
In the second-half, Cunha looked more like the player that convinced United to pay £72.5million for him. After winning a foul in the corner against William Saliba, the attacker got up and interacted with the fans in the south stand and Stretford End.
The urge for more noise was received well by the thousands of supporters. Cunha's effort was constantly applauded by the fans inside Old Trafford - it was certainly an encouraging debut.
Content Image
Content Image
Here at The Manchester Evening News, we are dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester United coverage and analysis.
Make sure you don't miss out on the latest United news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe.
You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day's biggest stories.
And, finally, if you would rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Manchester is Red podcast, featuring The Samuel Luckhurst Show and The Midweek Debate. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and you can also watch along on YouTube.