The optimism at Manchester United quickly disappeared. After 180 minutes in the Premier League in the new season, the team's spirit was almost exhausted after the worrying 1-1 draw against Fulham. The performance at Craven Cottage is more reminiscent of last season's nightmare than the bright start that Ruben Amorim expected.
A goalkeeper who often makes mistakes, a captain puts himself in a difficult position because of being petty, the midfield lacks creativity and the attack is unlucky in front of the goal. That scenario is very familiar, which is the story of the 2024-2025 season - the worst campaign in the club's history with 15th place in the Premier League.
At Craven Cottage, Bruno Fernandes missed a penalty in the first half, and in the second half, Man United lost the lead after Emile Smith Rowe equalized. Fortunately for the "Red Devils", Fulham was not sharp enough to make a comeback.
Despite spending £200 million to bring in Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko, Man United's attack is still helpless without a supply of the ball. Cunha had two chances of being ten in the first half, but once hit the post, once was successfully rejected by Bernd Leno. From then on, all the mark gradually disappeared.
Mbeumo diligently chased after helpless shots, Sesko became the highlight when entering the field from the second half, but both - as well as Cunha - were brought in to score, not just to bring some energy to the attack. As a result, Man United still left Craven Cottage with heavy legs and an unchanged score.
This is not the first time. A week before, at Old Trafford, Mbeumo and Cunha caused a stir against Arsenal but remained silent, until the "Red Devils" suffered a 0-1 defeat on the opening day. 2 matches, 3 new players in the attack, but M.U has not scored a goal.
The cause is behind. From goal to midfield, Man United's current quality is only average in the Premier League, far from the Champions League standard they dream of.
A typical example is the goalkeeper position. In the match against Arsenal, Altay Bayindir's big catch directly led to Riccardo Calafiori's goal. Although Andre Onana has returned, Amorim still surprised when keeping Bayindir in goal.
This decision is even more dang ke when the summer recruitment efforts of Emi Martinez and Gianluigi Donnarumma were both unsuccessful. And the message Amorim left is quite clear: he does not trust any goalkeeper in his hands.
That scenario repeated against Fulham. Each corner kick turned into a concern, as Bayindir was constantly pressured by Sander Berge, Timothy Castagne and Rodrigo Muniz. Instead of extinguishing the danger, the Turkish goalkeeper only knew how to swerve, lying on the field many times, and let Man United's goal become an ideal attack target.
Obviously, Man United defenders cannot rest assured with Bayindir behind them. For Onana, the situation did not improve as this goalkeeper was very reckless, inconsistent and full of risks.
The Red Devils are said to be in talks with Royal Antwerp's Senne Lammens, but the 23-year-old won't travel to Old Trafford as the number one choice. That means Amorim still has to deal with names that are not good enough to start every week. A untrustworthy goalkeeper could take the whole team down, and M.U's tragedy extended into the midfield.
Bruno Fernandes can be both defensive and creative, but having to carry two people around him - Casemiro was slow, Manuel Ugarte was volleying and often exhausted - made him exhausted. Mason Mount is a player with skills, but not the type of midfielder to intercept or assist. As a result, Man United's midfield lacked both creativity and balance.
As a result, Bruno Fernandes, the brightest star in the team, was pushed too many ways and never fully developed his ability. Meanwhile, the three £200 million strikers were waiting for the ball in hopelessness.
Man United will face Grimsby in the Carabao Cup before meeting Burnley in the Premier League. If the attack continues to lack a goal, Old Trafford will ring the alarm bell again - a sound that is very familiar to fans here.
