"The aim has to be winning the Premier League. I know people will be questioning me for saying it after last season, but it has to be that," Luke Shaw said to Sky Sports during Manchester United's pre-season tour of America. "We all have to have the same beliefs and ambitions, and that family feeling together, and we’ll strive for the same thing." That was not just a questionable declaration; it was borderline delusional after the worst campaign in the club's entire history.
Shaw's comments initially aged like milk, as United won just two of their opening six Premier League games of the 2025-26 campaign. A woeful 3-1 defeat at Brentford left Ruben Amorim's side languishing in 14th at the end of September, and the large majority of the fanbase were calling for the Portuguese manager to be dismissed.
But everything has changed over the last month. The Red Devils finally sparked into life by dispatching high-flying Sunderland 2-0 at Old Trafford, before ending a nine-year winless run at Anfield and Amorim's hunt for the first back-to-back league victories of his turbulent reign.
United made it three on Saturday, beating Brighton 4-2 to climb into the European spots, six points behind early pace-setters Arsenal. The Seagulls threatened to complete a sensational comeback late on, but Bryan Mbeumo made the points safe in the end, and it was no less than the home side deserved.
"I think they are more confident," Amorim told reporters when asked what has driven the recent improvement in his players. "I think the best game that we did this season was against Arsenal, the first one. But then, when you are a little bit more confident, when you have a different spirit, sometimes you have a little bit [of] luck in certain moments of the game that help you to win."
After so many months of misery, United are finally making their own luck, and all of a sudden, Shaw's bold statement of intent sounds more like a prophecy. Few outsiders will be entertaining the possibility of the Premier League trophy heading back to Old Trafford after a 13-year absence come May just yet, but now, that has to be the aim for Amorim and his constantly improving team. This is more than just a mini-resurgence; United are playing their best football of the entire post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.
And there are plenty of reasons to believe that Amorim can deliver the title two years ahead of the schedule set out by part-owners INEOS…
Getty ImagesLethal Mbeumo & Amad combination
There was widespread concern for Amad Diallo's future after United's £71 million ($95m) summer capture of Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford. Amad was the second-best player in the team last term, behind only Bruno Fernandes, and delivered a host of memorable moments from the right flank, most notably his late winner at Manchester City and hat-trick against Southampton.
Mbeumo, meanwhile, arrived on the back of a 20-goal season in the same role at Brentford, and it was difficult to see how Amorim could fit the Cameroonian and Amad into the same starting XI. Some early teething problems came as no surprise, then, but they've steadily built a lethal partnership that has been the driving force behind United's upturn in form.
Amad has embraced a new wing-back role with Mbeumo ahead of him in one of the No.10 slots within Amorim's 3-4-3 formation. The electrifying duo have dovetailed perfectly, particularly against Liverpool, when Amad set his new colleague through to score the opening goal inside two minutes with a superb outside-of-the-foot pass.
"At the beginning, because he was a new player, we were trying to understand each other," Amad told United's official media channels after the 2-1 victory. "But now we find a solution, when he goes to right wing-back, I go as a No.10. When he plays as a No.10, I stay as a right-wing-back. So I think now we have a very good relationship, even outside the pitch. This is [also] very important."
That natural rapport shines through in their body language, and if one of them doesn't find a breakthrough in the final third, the other will. Amad's numbers have reduced because he now has to do more work defensively, but that's a small price to pay for facilitating Mbeumo's swift integration.
The former Brentford ace is fast emerging as the best value signing of the summer in the Premier League, with six goal contributions from his first 10 games, including a brilliant brace against Brighton. Mbeumo and Amad will be expected to head off to the Africa Cup of Nations, which runs from December 21 to January 18, but if United can stay in touch with Arsenal in their absence, there is every chance they could combine to sustain a title charge through the second half of the season.
AdvertisementAFP'Special' Cunha
Matheus Cunha has not settled in at Old Trafford quite as quickly as Mbeumo. Signed for £62.5m ($83m) in June, the Brazilian forward was billed as the answer to United's long-standing goal-scoring issues, having delivered 15 in the Premier League for a relegation-threatened Wolves in 2024-25, but he drew a blank in each of his first eight appearances for Amorim's side.
An unfortunate hamstring injury also played a role in Cunha's slow start as he missed the Manchester derby and had to make do with a 25-minute cameo against Chelsea last month. That's not to say that he has played badly, though. In fact, Cunha's level has been consistently high; he's an aggressive runner and slick dribbler who rarely makes the wrong decision on the ball, which has helped United become far more efficient.
Strikers are always judged on goals, though, which is why his classy 24th-minute strike against Brighton came as such a relief. It poured out of Cunha as he wildly celebrated in front of the Stretford End after curling the ball beyond Bart Verbruggen and inside the far post.
"He brings something that is hard for us to point [at], it's not just the ability and the talent," Amorim told when assessing Cunha's latest display. "He has something that he is really comfortable playing in this kind of environment. He can take our team forward. He needs to improve a lot of things, especially defending, but he has something special and he is a really important player for us. He can play in different positions, so I expect the same in the next game because, in our club, it's really important to show it in every week."
Consistency will come for Cunha as he and United evolve together. Just like Mbeumo, the former Wolves and Atletico Madrid man is a Premier League-proven match-winner, and the Red Devils can turn to him to produce moments of magic in the tighter games.
AFPDe Ligt finally coming of age
Matthijs de Ligt's debut season at Old Trafford was underwhelming, to say the least. The Dutchman impressed sporadically, but his lack of mobility was often exploited by opposing teams, just as it had been during his mixed spells at Juventus and Bayern Munich.
This was, therefore, a make-or-break year for the Ajax academy graduate, who was once hailed as one of the most talented defenders of his generation. If De Ligt flatters to deceive again, he may not get another chance at United, or indeed any other top European club.
So far, the 26-year-old has played like a man acutely aware of what's at stake. Amorim has generally favoured De Ligt ahead of Harry Maguire in the centre of his back three, rewarding the Netherlands international for his dominance in ground and aerial duels, as well as his tactical awareness and leadership skills.
De Ligt's passing when United build from the back still needs work, but he's starting to fulfil the promise of his younger years. Pressed on the reasons behind his impressive form in an interview with last week, the towering defender said: "The first really important thing is I had a proper pre-season. For me and my body, pre-season is always really important and I think it was one of the first pre-seasons in five or six years when I didn't have a transfer, an injury or a Euros. The last time was probably my last season at Ajax and that was actually one of the best seasons of my career! I feel that, mentally and physically, I am in a really good place. Obviously, my team-mates and the manager help a lot because they give me this confidence. I think I am also used to the pace of the Premier League. I feel that I am coming to my prime age now."
You can't win the title without a strong defence, and De Ligt is playing a vital role in building that base.
Getty Images SportGoalkeeper issues finally solved
United haven't had a world-class goalkeeper since Edwin van der Sar. Yes, David de Gea was a great servant for the club and got his hands on Premier League, FA Cup, Europa League and League Cup winners' medals, but never exuded much confidence to the defence in front of him, and basic errors crept into his game in his final few years at Old Trafford.
There were regular calls for United to re-sign De Gea over the last two years, but they only came about because of the staggering ineptitude of his successor, Andre Onana. Erik ten Hag made a lot of awful recruitment calls during his time as manager, but pushing for a reunion with the former Ajax 'keeper in Manchester trumped them all.
United would not have fallen to such horrifying depths had it not been for Onana, whose endless list of mistakes cost the team positive results week in, week out. Amorim was clearly sick of the sight of him by the end of last season, and began this one with Turkish shot-stopper Altay Bayindir between the sticks instead, before shipping Onana off to Trabzonspor on loan.
The Red Devils' early struggles in the current campaign can largely be put down to the uncertain goalkeeping position, too, with Bayindir also falling well short of the required standard. It's no coincidence that results have picked up since the introduction of Belgian prospect Senne Lammens, the £18m ($24m) deadline-day signing from Royal Antwerp.
The 23-year-old has long been billed as Thibaut Courtois' heir in his homeland, and the United faithful are buying into that potential after his first three games. Lammens put in a near-flawless display as he kept a clean sheet on his debut against Sunderland, and made vital saves to keep Alexander Isak and Yankuba Minteh at bay in the wins over Liverpool and Brighton, respectively.
He has also commanded his box with genuine authority, and his long balls upfield have fuelled a more direct approach under Amorim that is already paying dividends. It's obviously too early to put Lammens in the world-class bracket, but United now have a fit-for-purpose No.1 who brings a sense of calm with everything he does. The importance of that cannot be overstated.