Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim praised the performances of debutants Matheus Cunha and Diego Leon in Saturday's pre-season friendly with Leeds United.

Both Cunha and Leon played the opening 45 minutes of the goalless draw, and the duo were impressive for the Red Devils, who came close to winning the contest late on through Kobbie Mainoo, with the midfielder hitting the crossbar from close range.

Amorim admitted that his side are still struggling for pace in the middle of midfield, but the Man United head coach was pleased with what the two new signings brought to the side.

"We suffered a little bit when we tried to press high," Amorim told MUTV. "They kicked the ball with the second ball, they were dangerous in that moment.

"We have a lack of pace, especially in the middle of the park, and you can feel that's hard to bring the ball. But we create chances, I think Matheus Cunha showed what we need, that he's the player when he receives the ball between the lines, he can be really aggressive in the direction of the opponent.

Amorim hails Cunha, Leon for strong Man United debuts

"We have a lot to do but it was the first test against a Premier League team with two different teams, so it was a big test.

"We watched [Cunha] during last season in a different team, so we expect the same thing. You can see the connection between him and Bruno (Fernandes) is still not there but it's going to be a good connection because you can put a player like Kobbie (Mainoo) there, Mason Mount there. We have to increase our quality in the final third.

'We have to understand that the kid (Leon) came from Paraguay and it's his second week in Manchester United. He did really well, he's learning things, he's powerful. He's going to be a very good player."

Amorim pleased with Man United environment

Amorim also said that the environment at the club "is really good", with the Portuguese doing his best to change the culture at Old Trafford during an incredibly difficult period on the field.

"I felt the environment is really good," he added. "Sometimes we are going to struggle but we struggle together, and that is the beginning of everything. And then we have to put the quality, this club is not just about the effort, you have to have the quality you have to win games.

"We need to create that bond between everybody, not just them but the staff. All the changes are stopping, so we need to leave that as a group, we have a lot to improve, the speed of the game, all of the details. And we are going to improve."

Man United will travel to the United States early next week to take part in the Premier League Summer Series, which will see them face West Ham United, Bournemouth and Everton, before returning to England for their final friendly of the summer against Fiorentina on August 9.

Written by
Matt Law