Manchester United news as Ruben Amorim’s men began the 2025/26 season with a defeat to Arsenal.
Matheus Cunha is an immediate favourite at Old Trafford. (Image: Manchester United via Getty Images.)
Manchester United’s 2025/26 season began with a close defeat to Arsenal on Sunday. Ruben Amorim’s team failed to capitalize on their opportunities at Old Trafford, despite a promising effort.
The game’s single goal came in the first half via Riccardo Calafiori’s header. United generated several opportunities, with new arrivals Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo both coming close.
There were numerous positives for Amorim to build upon in the coming weeks. Patrick Dorgu and Matthijs de Ligt impressed, and the early signs of a partnership between Cunha and Mbeumo are promising.
Here, the Manchester Evening News brings you some moments you might have missed…
Mindset tells it all.
Last season, one of the main issues with United’s team was their mentality. Players often appeared disinterested following defeats. Fortunately, it appears that Amorim has worked on it.
When the final whistle blew and Arsenal players celebrated, there was a genuine sense of disappointment among the players. Some United players, including Cunha, Matthijs de Ligt, and Leny Yoro, fell to the ground.
Following a season in which they were consistently underperforming their opponents in terms of quality, United matched, if not better, Arsenal on Sunday, as evidenced by the players’ reactions.
True Garnacho feeling.
As expected, Alejandro Garnacho was not present at Old Trafford for Sunday’s game, despite persistent doubt about his squad. Despite his threat, there appears to be no resentment among the fan base regarding his omission.
Prior to the match against the Gunners, a photographer caught an altered headshot of Garnacho outside Old Trafford. One supporter appeared to have tagged the forward’s photo with a ‘X’ across his face.
Cunha and Mbeumo, who are popular at Stretford End, demonstrated potential for United this season but did not score any goals.
Cunha looked more like the man that drew United’s £72.5 million offer. After winning a foul in the corner against William Saliba, the attacker stood up and mingled with the crowd in the south stand and Stretford End.
The call for additional noise was favorably received by thousands of supporters. Cunha’s performance was frequently cheered by the supporters inside Old Trafford; it was a promising start.
xz
