Omar Berrada interview confirmed Manchester United's next big decisions

Omar Berrada interview confirmed Manchester United's next big decisions

The mood at Man Utd is positive after a promising fortnight in the United States, but there is still more work to do.

United with the Summer Series trophy. (Image: 2025 Kevin C. Cox - Premier League)

Who needs to win the Europa League when you can win the Premier League Summer Series?

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Manchester United lifted a trophy at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday evening after beating West Ham and Bournemouth, and drawing against Everton, during the United States tour.

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The 'celebrations' were obviously muted, but the vibes around United at the end of the pre-season tour are undeniably better compared to the mood in the days building up to the trip across the Atlantic.

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The signing of Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford for an initial £65million, announced a day before the flight to the USA, was the catalyst for a more optimistic outlook. It was important to sign Mbeumo in time to travel to the States, and there have been green shoots elsewhere in the friendlies.

United have looked fitter, well-organised and capable of hurting their opponent in the final third. The players were handed individual fitness regimes during their holiday this summer and it seems to have paid off.

Ruben Amorim's decision to exile players who had fallen below expectations has also seemed to pay off, with the players on the USA tour discussing the improved culture and morale in the dressing room.

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Amorim has banished the bad eggs. There is a feeling of harmony within the group and the players have seemed notably upbeat during sessions at the Endeavor Health Performance Centre.

The performances themselves have been better. United cruised to victories against West Ham and Bournemouth, although the draw against Everton in the final game was a reminder that there is further work to do.

For all the positivity on tour, some of the old problems remain, particularly in midfield, which is an area that Amorim needs to strengthen before the end of the summer transfer window.

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United struggled with Everton's physicality in midfield and will struggle throughout the campaign if a fresh face is not added. Amorim also needs to sign a striker, potentially Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig.

Speaking during half-time against Everton, Berrada spoke about transfers and promised that club officials are working long hours to ensure Amorim's squad receives additional reinforcements.

“We have to do a lot of multitasking," he said. "We have a team back home led by Jason, the recruitment team, that is working around the clock to ensure that we continue to find opportunities to strengthen our squad. There are lots of late calls and early morning meetings to make sure that we stay on top of it.”

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Berrada continued: “The mood has been very good. The culture, the standards, the values, we are trying to ensure that we create a team spirit that allows the players to compete at the highest level.

"We have very high standards, Ruben is very clear about that and so is Jason [Wilcox]. It is something we want to see with the players, with the staff, with everyone, because what we want to do is to win and to start winning titles as soon as possible.

“Of course, adding players helps. We have seen the arrival of Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Diego Leon. They have adapted really well.

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"We are going to see Bryan play for the first time, Matheus has already shown his quality and Diego has shown that he is adapting very quickly, having just come from Paraguay, so all of the signs are positive and we are cautiously optimistic. We hope we are going to have a great season.”

Berrada also said the right things during another brief interview to MUTV on the money-spinning post-season trip to Malaysia and Hong Kong in May.

Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha should prove to be tremendous signings, but more high-quality additions are required to get United into a position to challenge for European football.

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Amorim said United "need to return to Europe" during his captivating chat with journalists on tour. United need to sign a midfielder and a striker to have a chance of achieving that goal this season.

The mood has improved at Old Trafford, but there is still work to do before deadline day.

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