Manchester United’s pre-season is turning heads—not for flashy tricks or media showcases, but for the sheer intensity that’s happening out of sight.
Eyewitnesses close to the club’s US tour have revealed a level of preparation not seen in years, as the Manchester Evening News reports.
Training sessions are so intense that United’s media team hasn’t even been allowed to film them.
Even after beating Bournemouth convincingly in Chicago, the focus hasn’t shifted from fitness and discipline.
Bryan Mbeumo, United most recent acquisition, has reportedly been pushed to his limits in sprint drills, despite being one of the Premier League’s most physically consistent players last season.
That kind of workload is being echoed across the squad.
Amorim’s men are not only impressing on the pitch—they’re showing it behind the scenes too.
The sports science staff are said to be thrilled with the results of individual off-season running programmes.
Designed to mimic bleep tests, the drills have paid off in pre-season performance.
The Portuguese boss hasn’t needed double sessions to get results; players train hard in the mornings and get the afternoons off, with a firm midnight curfew in place.
Unlike previous pre-season tours where open sessions were common, Ruben Amorim has locked down every detail.
His tactical walk-throughs are so rigorous and private that not even club cameras are permitted to film them.
Club sources say Amorim is coaching the team “to within an inch of their lives.”
The message from Diogo Dalot echoes that sentiment: “We go to every game already knowing what’s going to happen,” he explained, praising Amorim’s clarity and preparation.
Rather than bombarding players with instructions, Amorim sticks to two or three key principles each game.
The goal? Players should know their roles so well, they can “play with their eyes closed.”
There’s a noticeable change in how United play.
They’re more direct, more aggressive, with forward passes regularly fired into Rasmus Hojlund’s feet.
Compared to the rigid, sometimes robotic approach under Louis van Gaal or the strict discipline of Erik ten Hag, Amorim’s style is intensely structured—but not suffocating.
His assistant Carlos Fernandes leads set-piece drills, while Amorim hits the gym every morning at 7am before training begins.
In contrast to previous tours that saw players racing up hotel staircases to avoid Ten Hag’s wrath, Amorim’s discipline is quieter—but just as effective.
United are evolving, not just in tactics, but in culture.
