The mood lifted at Old Trafford on Saturday as Manchester United got back to winning ways.
It’s no secret that Manchester United have not had the best start to the season. The early fixtures haven’t been kind to the Red Devils, and Ruben Amorim is under mounting pressure to turn things around.
United’s 2-1 win over Chelsea lifted some of that pressure, but Amorim will now expect his team to build on that result by taking maximum points from their upcoming games.
Amorim will be relying on his top performers to make a difference when they take on Brentford and Sunderland, before travelling to Anfield, where they will face Premier League champions Liverpool on 19 October.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 9 |  Manchester CityManchester City | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 7 |
| 10 |  EvertonEverton | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 7 |
| 11 |  Manchester UnitedManchester United | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 8 | -2 | 7 |
| 12 |  LeedsLeeds | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | -3 | 7 |
| 13 |  NewcastleNewcastle | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
A winning run would help lift United to a higher position in the Premier League table, which will be among Amorim’s top objectives, after finishing 15th last season. It is more than achievable after adding better players to the squad over the summer.
Highest-rated Man Utd players this season
Although it has been a slow start to the new season for United, several players have given United fans reasons for optimism that results will improve.
United have played six games so far, including five in the Premier League and one in the Carabao Cup. That means they have two wins from six games.
There is plenty of room for improvement, and Amorim will be relying on his best performers to secure positive results in the coming weeks.
It shouldn’t surprise anyone that United captain Bruno Fernandes, who has won the club’s Player of the Year award four times, is topping the performance charts with a Sofascore rating of 7.63.
Fernandes was named in the Premier League Team of the Week after his performance against Chelsea last weekend.
Interestingly, two of United’s top four performers were signed by Ineos, which suggests there has already been an improvement in recruitment since Sir Jim Ratcliffe became co-owner.
Matthijs de Ligt has been a rock at the back in Amorim’s team, but the whole defence has been negatively affected by costly individual mistakes in games. That can be improved in the coming weeks, provided De Ligt builds on his recent performances.
Another player acknowledged for their efforts is Diogo Dalot, earning a 7.08 rating after playing four of the first six games.
New signing Bryan Mbeumo is ranked fourth after becoming one of United’s most threatening players in the final third. With just one goal to his name in the league this season, the Cameroon international is expected to build on that considerably throughout the campaign.
Another new signing among United’s top performers is Patrick Dorgu, who earned a 6.74 rating from five matches.
Ronald Koeman’s unfair treatment of Matthijs de Ligt
De Ligt is a mainstay in Amorim’s defence at Old Trafford and has proven himself to be one of the best defenders in the Premier League.
Although De Ligt has been impressive for United, Ronald Koeman doesn’t think he has done enough to get into the Netherlands starting line-up.
During the recent international break, De Ligt was an unused substitute when the Netherlands drew 1-1 with Poland. De Ligt came on in the final minutes of their win over Lithuania.
If De Ligt continues his current form, Koeman will be asked more questions about his decision to overlook the former Ajax, Juventus and Bayern Munich defender.
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
