United manager is keen to send an early message about standards, having been frustrated by the lack of intensity he saw during the season
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim is set to run a demanding pre-season training programme as he begins the task of rebuilding the club after one of the worst seasons in its modern history.
Players have been told to return to United’s Carrington training centre by the end of June, less than a month after the season’s conclusion, and Amorim will be setting rigorous fitness benchmarks that must be met by mid-July, according to The Sun.
Failure to meet those targets, players have been warned, could see them excluded from first-team plans.
Amorim, who officially took over in October 2024 and is preparing for his first full season at the club, is said to have placed a heavy emphasis on player conditioning and professionalism, with the squad instructed to report the details of their summer holidays to club staff in order to monitor their preparations in the off-season.
The Portuguese manager reportedly wants to exert greater control over player routines during the break to avoid the sluggish starts that plagued United this past season.
The upcoming pre-season schedule begins with a fixture against Leeds United on 19 July in Stockholm’s Friends Arena. It will be the first real look at how far Amorim has succeeded in shaping the squad physically and structurally.
Internally, the sense is that Amorim is keen to send an early message about standards. The new boss is understood to be frustrated by the lack of intensity he saw in United’s fixtures during the season and believes raising fitness levels is non-negotiable if the team is to compete again at the highest level.
Amorim’s Sporting side were known for their pressing, compactness and fast transitions, all of which require peak physical condition. It is expected that any new arrivals in the summer transfer window will also be subject to the same rigorous demands. Manchester United have already announced the signing of Wolves forward Matheus Cunha with more arrivals expected.
