Ruben Amorim is “really happy” with the work that Manchester United have been able to do in pre-season, as they look to bounce back from a historically poor 2024–25 campaign.

Last season ended with a 15th place Premier League finish, United’s worst since the breakaway competition formed in 1992, and worst overall since 1973–74’s relegation. Defeat in the Europa League final also failed to provide a silver lining and last ditch Champions League qualification.

One of the often-stated problems for Amorim, who replaced Erik ten Hag in early November, was a lack of opportunity to put in the necessary graft behind closed doors. The nature of his mid-season arrival and United’s regular midweek commitments in Europe proved disruptive when it came to implementing his specific tactical ideas and building a fresh team bond.

Now, the Portuguese had had the chance to work with the squad in pre-season, in a rare summer not interrupted by major international tournaments.

“It’s completely different,” Amorim told United’s in-house media, reflecting on the preparation.

“We, as a team, need more time on the pitch, not just for the physical or tactical aspect, but the bond between [the players]. You build that during the week, with time on the [training] pitch. So, I’m really happy with that,” he added.

‘Europe Is the Focus’

This season, United have no European football on the calendar for the first time since 2014–15.

For Mason Mount, ensuring that is just a blip is the key aim for the forthcoming campaign.

“Europe is a massive, massive thing for us,” he told reporters from the team’s first pre-season tour base in Chicago. “The Champions League would be amazing for us and as a group we want to be playing in that competition. But I’d say Europe. I think that’s the focus.”

That means surging back into the top half of the table, with a finish in the top seven or eight likely the minimum requirement to qualify for a UEFA competition via the league.

Mount’s time at United, since a 2023 transfer from Chelsea, has been defined by injuries. He missed 23 games because of fitness trouble last season—and 27 during the prior campaign—but returned for an unbroken run of availability across April and May.

“At the end of last season, getting back and feeling really, really good, playing some games and scoring some goals was obviously very important for me,” the 26-year-old explained.

“I still want to kick on. Any time you do get that opportunity to be on the pitch, you want to do something, you want to affect the game. That’s always the way I’ve looked at it.”

“I feel like I’m in really good shape, had a good off-season, rested. That was probably one of the most important things: to take the rest. I slowly built up some sessions in the off-season and that was from the staff here. They give us a schedule to work off.”

READ THE LATEST MAN UTD NEWS, TRANSFER RUMORS AND MORE


This article was originally published on www.si.com as Ruben Amorim Delivers Encouraging Man Utd Update, Mason Mount Reveals Season Target.

Test hyperlink for boilerplate