Fresh faces at Carrington! Man Utd new boys Matheus Cunha and Diego Leon arrive for first day of pre-season as players look to avoid repeat of dismal campaign under Ruben Amorim

Matheus Cunha and Diego Leon were among the players reporting for duty on Monday morning as United began preparations for a crucial 2025-26 season. The South American pair are the first new recruit of the summer window, with 18-year-old Leon completing his switch from Paraguayan side Cerro Portreno over the weekend - a deal had actually been in place since January.

Appointed in November and faced with a jam-packed match schedule until May, all whilst trying to implement a brand new formation and style of play, Amorim finally has an opportunity in pre-season to properly get his feet under the desk and really understand where the shortcomings are. United recorded a 15th place Premier League finish in 2024-25 and are expected to be significantly better in the coming campaign.

Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot were not among the group back at Carrington on day one. The pair have been granted compassionate leave by the club following the tragic death of Portugal team-mate Diogo Jota, and were in attendance at his funeral.

There are 12 days before United play a first friendly of the summer, facing Leeds in Stockholm, in what is an annual summer trip to Scandinavia. A week later comes the first of three Premier League Summer Series fixtures in the United States, with fans hoping that more signings are through the door in time to at least go on the American leg of pre-season.