United started their pre-season tour of the United States with a 2-1 win over West Ham
Matthijs de Ligt says Manchester United’s players are fully aware they have to rebuild both their confidence and credibility after what he described as a collectively “unacceptable” campaign last season.
United opened their pre-season tour of the United States with a 2-1 win over West Ham at MetLife Stadium at the weekend.
For De Ligt, it’s a small step in a long road back from a year that saw the club finish 15th in the Premier League and miss out on European qualification altogether.
“After a season like that, it’s normal to have to build your confidence,” said De Ligt. “So that’s why I think a win [against West Ham] is really important.
“I think with winning, you become more confident. You start to believe more in what you’re doing.”
The Dutch defender arrived from Bayern Munich last year under Erik ten Hag, but the manager was sacked only two months into the season due to poor performances.
Amorim is using the US tour to reset the tone inside the squad and finally get extended time on the training pitch, something he lacked last season due to fixture congestion.
“This is a new season,” De Ligt said. “There’s a lot of positivity now in the camp. Also, some new players. We have a lot of time to train now. So that aspect is really, really important now.
“We are all unhappy with our performances last season. We owe it also to ourselves to play much better. Hopefully we can give the fans a lot more joy this season.”
