Manchester United winger Amad Diallo has called for calm and patience after a goalless pre-season draw with Leeds United in Stockholm, insisting the squad is making steady progress under new head coach Ruben Amorim.
Despite the flat attacking display, Diallo stressed that early July fitness work, tactical adjustments and settling new faces matter more than the scoreline. “We have a new manager, new players and new ideas. It will take time, but I believe we’ll achieve a lot,” he said.
United enter the 2025/26 campaign without European football, a consequence of last season’s dismal Premier League finish. They slumped to 15th place on 42 points and then fell 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final, missing an alternative route back to the Champions League.
That painful campaign frames Amorim’s rebuild. Diallo said a successful year would mean finishing in the Premier League’s top five, recalling how that threshold delivered Champions League qualification last season thanks to England’s strong coefficient. With no midweek continental grind, United intend to channel full energy into domestic improvement.
Transfer activity has already signalled a more assertive approach. Forward Matheus Cunha has arrived in a £62.5m move from Wolves, who finished 16th last term. Diallo welcomed the Brazilian’s mobility, link play and goal threat, describing him as “someone who can give us something different.”
He is equally enthusiastic about the club’s pursuit of Bryan Mbeumo, whose proposed switch has not yet been finalised. Additional quality in wide and forward areas, Diallo argued, is essential after last season’s shortage of fit, in-form attackers.
Questions have swirled around Diallo’s own fitness, with rumours suggesting he could miss significant time, but he downplayed the concern and focused on contributing once fully up to speed. “I’m feeling good. Pre-season is about building.”
Above all, Diallo returned to the supporters. He praised their loyalty through a bruising year and promised the squad aims to “give something back” by May. United’s rebuild remains a work in progress, but for Diallo the message is simple: don’t panic, stay with the team, and judge them when the real games begin.
The coming weeks of pre-season will be about sharpening Amorim’s positional play, establishing pressing triggers and clarifying roles across a reshaped front line. Friendly results may fluctuate, but the internal metrics chance creation, defensive compactness, player load management will tell the staff whether United are tracking toward that lofty top-five ambition this season.
