Manchester United have arrived in the US for their pre-season tour, with matches scheduled as part of the Summer Series.
Their first match in the Summer Series is against West Ham in the early hours of Sunday morning, though they did play a goalless draw against Leeds in Stockholm to open their pre-season.
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Ruben Amorim is heading into a high-pressure season after a challenging start to his tenure as United’s head coach.
With challenges expected once competitive play begins, Amorim has added three new faces to the first team so far, including Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo.
Both forwards are likely to get minutes against West Ham this weekend at MetLife Stadium. The hope is that everyone has recharged over the short summer break following a difficult campaign.
Defender Leny Yoro spoke recently about putting in extra work over the summer with teammate Kobbie Mainoo as he looks to stay sharp ahead of an important season for his development.
Ruben Amorim makes time for familiar face during pre-season tour
United won’t have much free time during the pre-season tour, with training sessions, friendlies, and commercial duties filling up the schedule.
The team is in the United States to prepare for the new season, and Amorim will be hoping they can focus more on football than off-field obligations. This period gives the head coach a chance to decide which tactical plans should be put into practice.
The players also benefit from top-notch facilities, with plenty of video analysis sessions included. Still, fitness remains the top priority, ensuring everyone is in shape for the new season without major setbacks.
Last summer saw several long-term injuries that carried over into the season. Mainoo was among those affected, and it contributed to United finishing 15th in the league. That’s why having a full pre-season is so important for key players this time around.
As part of their coverage of pre-season preparations, United are posting diaries on ManUtd.com that follow Amorim and his squad throughout their trip.
On Wednesday, they trained at Chicago Fire’s facility. Amorim and his staff led various passing drills and two-touch games to keep things sharp ahead of their next fixture.
The diary noted that Amorim took some time out to catch up with Chicago Fire assistant coach Filipe Celikkaya. The two go back quite a way – all the way back to their school days in Lisbon.
Celikkaya is a 40-year-old Portuguese coach from Lisbon currently working as assistant manager at Chicago Fire.
Even before moving to MLS, Celikkaya had built up a solid background in coaching across Portugal and beyond. He spent time working within Sporting CP’s youth setup while Amorim was managing senior honours at home before taking over at Old Trafford.
His journey has taken him through stints with Benfica’s youth teams as well as roles at Al-Ahli, Almada AC U19s (Lisbon), Chaves (assistant), Vitoria Guimaraes B (assistant), Shakhtar Donetsk (U19s) and now Chicago Fire FC where he serves under head coach Frank Klopas.
United Academy player stunned by scale of US Pre-Season Tour
The pre-season diary has picked up a great quote from one of the academy players who has travelled with the first team this summer.
While the player wasn’t named, the United media team shared his reaction to being part of the tour in America. He simply said, “I can’t believe how big it is here.”
There’s always hope that some of these young players make an impression during their time in America and earn a closer look when they return.
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