Manchester United pre-season tracker: Benjamin Sesko unveiled as Red Devils wrap up preparations before Arsenal clash
Published 10/08/2025 at 11:07 GMT+1
Benjamin Sesko was welcomed at Old Trafford as Manchester United drew with Fiorentina in their final pre-season outing. Fellow new signings Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo featured ahead of their Premier League opener against Arsenal. Ruben Amorim's team went unbeaten in pre-season, which included wins against West Ham United and Bournemouth as they clinched the Summer Series.
'The last thing Man Utd need is a maverick' - Cole warns of Cunha 'gamble'
Video credit: TNT Sports
Ruben Amorim is about to embark on his first full campaign at Manchester United and pre-season preparations are complete.
The Portuguese experienced a brutal introduction at Old Trafford after his side finished 15th in the Premier League and missed out on European football following a crushing defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in the UEFA Europa League final.
The Red Devils have already made moves in the transfer market to improve on last season's poor showing with the additions of Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Diego Leon.
The new boys joined up with the rest of the squad for their tour of the United States this month after Manchester United kicked off their pre-season with a 0-0 draw against Leeds United.
They then followed up with a 2-1 win over West Ham United in New Jersey as part of the Premier League Summer Series US tour, with captain Bruno Fernandes scoring both goals, before dismantling Bournemouth 4-1 in Chicago.
United ended the tour as champions following a 2-2 draw with Everton, in which Mbeumo made his non-competitive debut for the club.
In their final outing before the 2025/26 campaign gets underway, new signing Benjamin Sesko was unveiled as a Red Devil at Old Trafford before United's 1-1 draw with Fiorentina.
Man Utd pre-season fixtures and results
| Match | Date and time |
| Man Utd v Leeds (0-0) | Saturday, July 19, 14:00 UK time, Stockholm |
| Man Utd v West Ham (2-1) | Sunday, July 27, 00:00 UK time, New Jersey |
| Man Utd v Bournemouth (4-1) | Thursday, July 31, 02:00 UK time, Chicago |
| Man Utd v Everton (2-2) | Sunday, August 3, 22:00 UK time, Atlanta |
| Man Utd v Fiorentina (1-1) | Saturday, August 9, 12:45 UK time, Old Trafford |
Man Utd pre-season squad
Goalkeepers: Altay Bayindir, Tom Heaton, Dermot Mee, Will Murdock, Andre Onana.
Defenders: Diogo Dalot, Matthijs de Ligt, Patrick Chinazaekpere Dorgu, Tyler Fredricson, Ayden Heaven, Diego Leon, Lisandro Martinez, Noussair Mazraoui, Harry Maguire, Reece Munro, Luke Shaw, Leny Yoro.
Midfielders: Casemiro, Toby Collyer, Bruno Fernandes, Jack Fletcher, Sekou Kone, Kobbie Mainoo, Mason Mount, Manuel Ugarte.
Forwards: Amad Diallo, Matheus Cunha, Rasmus Hojlund, Bendito Mantato, Bryan Mbeumo, Chido Obi, Ethan Williams, Joshua Zirkzee.
- Transfer Roundtable - Which striker should Man Utd sign?
- Merseyside derby, Arsenal v Forest, Brentford v Man Utd live on TNT Sports in September
- Napoli target Grealish, Atalanta consider Hojlund return - Euro Transfer News
Defender Harry Maguire was initially left out due to a private matter, but he later joined his team-mates in the US.
Goalkeeper Andre Onana made the squad despite struggling with an injury which could see him miss the opening game of the league season, while Jadon Sancho, Alejandro Garnacho, Tyrell Malacia and Antony have all missed the tour as they look to join Marcus Rashford out of the Old Trafford door this summer.
/origin-imgresizer.tntsports.io/2025/06/10/4127861-83694868-2560-1440.jpg)
Antony was 'hitting rock bottom without hope' at Man Utd
Video credit: SNTV
What has the manager said?
After his first full pre-season, Amorim feels the players can "change [his] mind" this campaign with their performances, with plenty of options at his disposal.
"That [a selection headache] is a good thing, it is supposed to be like that, not like last season that we have to struggle to put 11 players on the pitch," he said.
"This is the normal thing so I need to think and they [the players] need to fight during the week, so they can change my mind, I have an idea but they will change my mind during the week.
"It is going to be tough because we try to arrange a full week of training, so we will have two really strong sessions with time to work and then we are going to break a little bit and then two days to really think about the strategy for the game and we will be ready."
Amorim said United looked a "different team" after they overcame heavy rain and swirling wind to claim a 4-1 win over Bournemouth in Chicago, despite new signings Mbeumo and Cunha not featuring.
Patrick Dorgu set up Rasmus Hojlund for United’s opener, before then scoring himself. The second half saw the Old Trafford club extend their lead through Amad Diallo and Ethan Williams.
Indeed, the latter, a 19-year-old academy product, converted just a minute after coming off the bench. It was his first United goal, having netted twice and registered two assists in 17 games at League Two Cheltenham Town.
The 88th minute saw Matthijs de Ligt turn David Brooks’ cross into his own net for a Bournemouth consolation goal.
/origin-imgresizer.tntsports.io/2025/07/25/image-1cd381a8-d1bc-4085-8d71-37e3c92a0bdf-85-2560-1440.png)
Amorim ‘ready’ to welcome likes of Garnacho, Antony and Sancho back into Man Utd squad if unsold
Video credit: TNT Sports
"It was a good game. We played with intensity. We were aggressive and that is something that we need to improve from last season," said Amorim. "We had better possession compared to the last game, so they are listening.
"Of course, scoring first in the beginning of the games can change the confidence of the team. We changed some positions and you feel that they know what to do in different positions.
"It was a good test. We controlled quite well the runs of Evanilson and [Antoine] Semenyo one against one. Luke Shaw was also really strong. So it was a good day.
"It was just a pre-season game but the feeling with the same players, even being a pre-season game, if you look at the same players now playing, it looks like a different team and that is a good sign."
Meanwhile, following United's win over West Ham, Amorim heaped praise on captain Fernandes, after the Portuguese midfielder elected to stay at Old Trafford, turning down a lucrative move to the Saudi Pro League.
"I think now he [Fernandes] has more players. I felt that on the tour. I felt that now there are more players to help them to lead the group. That is a good thing. But he's our leader, so it's really important. Not just on the field, but also off the field.
"He lives by example, he works really hard, [he is] always available. Sometimes he plays with pain, the problem is sometimes he gets frustrated and sometimes he loses a little bit the focus of his job.
"Sometimes he wants to help so much his team-mates that sometimes it's not the best thing to do, Bruno has to wait for the ball in different situations. This kind of thing is a leader, but he needs help. And he's going to have help."
United ended their trip stateside unbeaten despite being held to a 2-2 draw by Everton in their final match.
Fernandes was on target again, as was Mason Mount, with his manager hailing his overall contribution.
"He does everything 100%," Amorim said of the midfielder. "Every training and every game, he is always the same player. The only thing for you to maintain the consistency is that you have to work, and he works a lot."
What have the players said?
Goalscorer Dorgu said United were adapting to Amorim's methods after their 4-1 win in Chicago.
"It felt good," the former Lecce man told MUTV. "It was good to help the team out there and it was good to get the win, we just keep improving and look forward to the season.
"It was good to see the fans were still there even though the weather conditions were not so good. It was good that the team gave a good performance for the fans.
"I feel like the pre-season is helping everyone to understand Ruben's ideas even more.
"The more training we have, the more we will grow into his ideas and I feel like it is being seen a little bit on the pitch already. We just keep improving."
Diallo, meanwhile, was in a confident mood when asked about the upcoming campaign after the draw against rivals Leeds.
"I think they have to be patient with us," he said. "There’s a new manager, with new players and new tactics.
/origin-imgresizer.tntsports.io/2025/08/04/image-05fc738c-1e0f-49ed-a366-32307b578fda-85-2560-1440.jpeg)
Amad Diallo playing during Manchester United's pre-season friendly against Leeds
Image credit: Getty Images
"We know last season wasn’t really good for the team, but I think this season we will win a lot with him and I hope this season we are going to achieve a lot of good things by the end of the season.
"A good season will be top five. I hope we can achieve that top five at the end of the season because I think they deserve [it]."
Captain Fernandes told Sky Sports after his brace against West Ham: "Training has been very good. We have been doing very well. It's good to win the game, even it being a friendly and to go into the season in a positive way.
"Overall the game was good. We were good on the ball. In some moments, we could have kept possession for longer as the manager was asking - we rushed a bit in the final third when trying to score our goals. We will work on that."
New signings watch
Matheus Cunha made his debut against Leeds following his £62.5 million move from Wolverhampton Wanderers. The Brazilian played the opening 45 minutes and although he was unable to get on the scoresheet, Amorim was impressed by his performance.
"I think Matheus Cunha showed what we need, that he's the player," the United boss said. "When he receives the ball between the lines, he can be really aggressive in the direction of the opponent.
"We watched [Cunha] during last season in a different team, so we expect the same thing.
"You can see the connection between him and Bruno [Fernandes] is still not there, but it's going to be a good connection because you can put a player like Kobbie [Mainoo] there and Mason Mount there. We have to increase our quality in the final third."
Cunha then played 66 minutes in the win over West Ham alongside Fernandes as he begins to lock down the left attacking midfield position going into the season opener. He did not feature in any capacity against Bournemouth, however.
- Jackson price tag revealed as Man Utd pursue interest - Paper Round
- TNT Sports launches new campaign to kick off new football season: This is Not Normal
Teenager Diego Leon also made his first appearance for the Red Devils against Leeds and delivered a lively 45-minute cameo which received praise from his manager.
"We have to understand that the kid [Leon] came from Paraguay and it's his second week in Manchester United," Amorim explained.
"He did really well, he's learning things, he's powerful. He's going to be a very good player."
He then backed that up off the bench against West Ham, replacing Dorgu after 66 minutes and helping Manchester United to hold on to their win, before also coming on in the win over Bournemouth.
Against Everton, all eyes were on Bryan Mbeumo, who was making his first appearance, and the manager was impressed with what he saw from the ex-Brentford star.
"I think he played well," Amorim told MUTV afterwards. "Of course, he needs to improve in a lot of things.
"You can feel the physicality of Bryan is not perfect, that is normal, but the first touch, the way he turns and connects to the other guys, the runs that he made, it is really important. He is going to be really important to our team."
Both Mbeumo and Cunha started United's final pre-season game against Fiorentina, and Amorim feels the pair are far from showing their best.
"I think they [Cunha and Mbeumo] are maybe 50-60% of what they can do," he said.
"I think, like any other team, we are going to improve during the season, they are going to be so much better.
"In some moments I felt that we, because of the one-v-one in all the pitch, we struggle without a reference as a striker. We have a new player [Benjamin Sesko] so we’ll see."
- - -
Stream the Premier League, Men's and Women's FA Cup, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League and more on TNT Sports and discovery+
Related Topics
Thoughts?
Advertisement
Advertisement