Manchester United and Leeds United will renew their rivalry in their opening preseason friendly of the summer in Stockholm on Saturday.
Following two underwhelming post-season showpiece events in May, the Red Devils will be aiming to finally turn the corner under Ruben Amorim at the beginning of the 2025–26 season, and they must lay the foundations during preseason. Facing fellow Premier League side Leeds will offer them a much-needed workout as they get back into the swing of things.
Friendlies only hold so much value and neither set of supporters will be overly concerned by Saturday’s result. However, they will want to see encouraging performances from their players in Sweden.
Here are four things to keep an eye on during Saturday’s clash.
Matheus Cunha Debut
Man Utd have made just one blockbuster signing this summer as they added Matheus Cunha to their squad following a £62.5 million deal with Wolverhampton Wanderers. The Brazilian will make his informal debut for the Red Devils in Stockholm and fans will be desperate to catch a glimpse of the club’s new No. 10.
Cunha is unlikely to play the entirety of the fixture given Amorim will make significant changes throughout, but he will earn some welcome minutes. He will want to get off to a fast start in Man Utd colours and will be enamoured by the possibility of scoring his first goal for the Red Devils.
Where Amorim deploys Cunha in his forward line will be intriguing to see, with the 26-year-old likely to feature as one of the two inside forwards in the Portuguese manager’s 3-4-2-1 formation.
There could be a debut for summer recruit Diego León, too, with the Paraguayan youngster having made the move from Cerro Porteño.
Tactical Tweaks
Having endured an absolutely rotten start to his tenure at Old Trafford, preseason appears the perfect opportunity for Amorim to make tactical alterations. If the Man Utd boss wants to try new things, then upcoming friendlies against Premier League sides—matches with West Ham United, Bournemouth and Everton follow the battle with Leeds—provide him with the perfect opportunity to experiment.
Amorim appears unlikely to stray from his preferred 3-4-2-1 system in the long-term but he will have the opportunity to rotate personnel and make small tactical tweaks to player roles during Saturday’s match. Man Utd fans will be keen to see how he lines his side up against the Yorkshire outfit.
Academy Prospects
Man Utd boast an abundance of academy talents ready to make impressions on Saturday, with preseason always providing youngsters the chance to shine. Harry Amass is one of those who impressed last summer and he made seven senior appearances last term as a result, with others aiming to follow in his footsteps this time around.
Jack Moorhouse, Shea Lacey, Godwill Kukonki and Jack Fletcher are among those who could catch Amorim’s eye against Leeds and in upcoming friendlies, while players like Chido Obi and the aforementioned Amass will be aiming to further impress their manager having shown glimpses of their potential in 2024–25.
New Leeds Signings
Gabriel Gudmundsson has been signed at left-back from Lille, while Jaka Bijol and Sebastiaan Bornauw have arrived as new centre-backs as Daniel Farke looks to solidify his rearguard. The trio will be aiming to keep Man Utd out on Saturday.
READ THE LATEST PREMIER LEAGUE NEWS, TRANSFER RUMORS AND GOSSIP
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Four Things to Watch Out for in Man Utd’s Friendly vs. Leeds.
