Manchester United have no excuses for a slow start to the Premier League season, with a settled squad, a calm pre-season and a kind fixture list all working in their favour.
The club have had a solid if hardly spectacular transfer window so far, with Karl Darlow, Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans the new faces. Two of their top midfield targets proved too expensive, they have not been able to sell to the level expected, and the left-back they wanted looks likely to be out of reach.
But splashing the cash does not always equate to success, as Liverpool showed last season. United finished third and showed signs of progress, and with stability rather than wholesale changes, that might not be a bad thing.
Settled squad and full pre-season
Michael Carrick and his coaching staff will back themselves to bring about further improvement with a full pre-season under their belts. They showed they were capable of developing players and coming up with tactical game plans during the second half of last season, winning 12 and losing just two of their 17 Premier League games in charge.
Three of United's traditional 'big six' rivals have new managers and numerous new signings to bed in, but change can take time. United are likely to line up at Hull City with just one new signing in the team, £50million midfielder Santos, who is on course to start all six pre-season friendlies and will be settled by the time the campaign begins on Saturday, August 22.
Tielemans might have to settle for a place on the bench, but the £35million midfielder has plenty of Premier League experience and should be capable of hitting the ground running.
Calm pre-season and kind fixtures
United have had a much more low-key pre-season, centred on the football, with four straight weeks at Carrington and weekend trips to Europe for games. As assistant manager Steve Holland said in Ireland this week, it's a schedule that should reap immediate dividends.
“We’ve been in control of the facilities, the pitch, the recovery,” he said. “Then being able to just travel in and out to play high-level games, returning to Carrington again for the following week, has given us the best possible chance, I would say, of being ready for the start, given that it's a tournament year.”
The fixture list also helps. They begin with games against promoted sides Hull City and Ipswich Town, with a trip to Everton in gameweek three. United really should be on maximum points by that stage, and in a confident mood ahead of a trip to Manchester City.
