Ruben Amorim has coaxed life back into Manchester United, delivering a three-game Premier League winning run that feels like a revival after months of turbulence.
The string of results is real progress, but the performances carry frayed edges that suggest optimism should be tempered with caution.
Grit, sacrifice and unmistakable buy-in
What stands out at Old Trafford is commitment. Players have visibly bought into Amorim’s project, reshaping roles and swallowing pride to make the system work.
Bruno Fernandes has huskily traded some attacking freedom for a sacrificial midfield role, Luke Shaw has slotted into a back three without complaint, and Amad has embraced a wing-back position that stretches the team.
Those personnel tweaks have created cohesion on matchdays and a sense that the squad is finally rowing in the same direction.
Attack with teeth, not velvet
United are not trying to be beautiful. Amorim’s brand is direct, urgent and built around front-foot speed.
The summer recruits Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo have been the perfect fit: Cunha’s long-range audacity and Mbeumo’s finishing instincts have supplied goals and moments of genuine menace.
This pragmatic approach produces immediate reward and is shaping a team that can hurt opponents on the break and punish mistakes.
The “suffering” factor
For all the positives, there’s a recurring theme of nervousness and near-miss drama.
United can look like a team that survives rather than dominates. Comfortable victories somehow feel fragile, and games often require a late reinforcement of nerve to seal results.
Amorim himself has acknowledged that sense of “suffering” and knows he must convert that resilience into more fluent, less hair-raising performances.
The true test arrives now
The fixture list will be unforgiving. Trips to Nottingham Forest and Tottenham loom as the perfect measuring stick.
Those matches will reveal whether the current run is a foundation for sustained progress or a temporary hot streak papering over deeper tactical and physical gaps.
Verdict
There is cause for excitement: unity, clear identity, and forward players who can change games.
The warning is equally clear: this version of United still flirts with instability and needs to prove it can win convincingly against tougher opposition.
Amorim has put the team on the right path, but the next fortnight will say whether that path leads to momentum or a flattened promise
