Man United pre-season report: Who has impressed for the Red Devils? What have we learned ahead of 2025-26 campaign?

Manchester United opened their preparations for the 2025-26 Premier League season with a goalless draw against Leeds United in Sweden on Saturday afternoon.

Kobbie Mainoo came the closest to scoring for Man United late on, with the midfielder hitting the crossbar from close range, while the club's number three goalkeeper Tom Heaton needed to make some smart saves to keep out Leeds in the second half.

Here, Sports Mole discusses the main talking points from the contest with Leeds, including first appearances for the club's two summer signings Matheus Cunha and Diego Leon.

New signings Cunha, Leon both impress for Man United

Cunha and Leon both played the opening 45 minutes of the contest, and the pair put in strong performances, proving to be two of the team's standout players in the first half of the clash.

"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 told MUTV after the match.

"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."

Leon played as the left-sided wing-back, and he demonstrated his pace and power on more than one occasion, while his use of the ball was also excellent, with the 18-year-old showing encouraging signs.

As for Cunha, his best work came when he was driving through the middle, and he was also aggressive in the challenge - something which was missing for the 20-time English champions last term.

Man United desperately need a new centre-forward

Chido Obi is a huge talent, and the indications are that he will go on to have an excellent career, but the ex-Arsenal youngster is not yet ready to lead the line at Man United.

The 17-year-old should have a role to play in the coming season, and he impressed in the first half of the game with Leeds, firing a decent attempt just wide of the post, before being replaced by Rasmus Hojlund.

It does appear that Hojlund will stay at Old Trafford this summer, but he struggled on Saturday, and Man United simply have to sign a new striker, as Joshua Zirkzee is also better in the number 10 spot.

The options, ones of the required level at least, are few and far between, and the striker market is a complicated one, so Man United will need to be inventive when it comes to a signing in that area of the field.

The importance of a new forward arriving simply cannot be downplayed, though, even with Bryan Mbeumo set to arrive ahead of the pre-season tour of the United States.

Fernandes is set to play deeper this season

Fernandes played in central midfield against Leeds, and that is expected to be the case for a lot of the coming season, with Mbeumo and Cunha set to operate as the number 10s behind a centre-forward.

Amad Diallo, Mason Mount and Zirkzee are also options in that area of the field, so Fernandes is likely to operate in a deeper area, but whether he can influence matches in the same manner remains to be seen.

Fernandes had a sensational 2024-25 campaign from a personal point of view, and the fact that he has rejected the chance to leave Man United this summer is a major positive for the club.

Amorim is concerned by the lack of pace in the middle of midfield, though, admitting on Saturday: "We have a lack of pace, especially in the middle of the park, and you can feel that's hard to bring the ball."

Man United may enter the market for an energetic midfielder to operate alongside Fernandes, but it would also not be a shock to see him moved further forward if it becomes clear that he is not as influential in a deeper role.

Mantato could play a lot of football for Man United in 2025-26

Man United have a lot of talented youngsters in their current squad, and one of those, Bendito Mantato, was introduced at the interval of the clash with Leeds on Saturday afternoon.

The 17-year-old played further forward, and he made a big impression with his performance.

Mantato scored 10 goals and registered four assists in 20 appearances for Man United's Under-18s and Under-21s last term, including seven goals in 11 appearances in the Under-18s Premier League.

The youngster also managed two goals and three assists in four outings in Premier League 2, and he is viewed as one of the best talents in the English game.

Mantato has previously drawn comparisons with Arsenal attacker Bukayo Saka due to his playing style. Like Saka, Mantato came through the youth system as an attacking left-back, but he is now primarily bring used down the right, and Amorim is clearly a huge fan of the teenager.

Written by
Matt Law