Pre-season is underway and Manchester United are preparing to start the Summer Series in the United States.
The Manchester United players returned for pre-season over two weeks and have already played one friendly.
A trip to Stockholm saw United held to a 0-0 draw against Leeds, but it was an opportunity for fans to see new signing Matheus Cunha up close. The Brazilian started the game but was replaced at half-time when the head coach made wholesale changes to the team.
This weekend, however, United take on West Ham in their first match of the Premier League Summer Series. The game kicks off at 19:00 local time on Saturday night at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, which is 00:00 local time on Sunday morning.
United fans will hope to see fellow new signing Bryan Mbeumo make his debut after joining up with the squad on tour this week.
Although it is taking place in the United States, the Premier League Summer Series gives Ruben Amorim a chance to face teams in the same division ahead of next season. These are the standards his players must be meeting, even though the Reds won’t play any of the other big English clubs.
United’s first opponents, West Ham, finished a place above United last season in 14th. Graham Potter’s side will be looking for a win to boost the camp’s mood on tour ahead of the new campaign.
Jarrod Bowen ‘excited’ to face Man Utd at MetLife Stadium
Jarrod Bowen was once again one of West Ham’s star players in 2024/25.
The England international finished the season as the club’s top goalscorer for the second season in a row, with a tally of 14 strikes (13 in the Premier League) to his name.
Bowen has been a consistent performer for several years now and his output hasn’t dipped, despite West Ham’s form.
The 28-year-old gave a press briefing in New Jersey ahead of the match to reveal how ‘excited’ he is to face United at such an iconic stadium since he’s already a big fan of American sports.
“As a fan of American sports, being here is also extra special for me,” Bowen told reporters, as cited by West Ham’s official website.
“I love American Football and the NFL, so being able to train at Rutgers University has been really cool.
“College Football does confuse me a bit! There are a lot of teams, and I’m not sure who’s good and who’s not, but to see their facilities and the types of stadiums they play in has been really cool.”
Bowen added: “I’m also really excited to play at the MetLife Stadium, which looks incredible!
“We’re playing Manchester United, which is always a big game, and I think we’re all looking forward to getting out there, and seeing all the fans in attendance as well.
“The Summer Series gives us three really competitive games against Premier League opposition. We know they’re going to be challenging, but we put in a good performance against Grasshopper Club Zürich over in Germany, and we want to build on that now.
“We all feel like we’re in a good place, and that we’re ready for the fixtures.”
The MetLife Stadium is the home of the New York Jets and New York Football Giants of the NFL and is the largest stadium in the NFL with a capacity of 82,500.
Graham Potter trying to manage load ahead of Man Utd clash
Bowen was joined in the press briefing by West Ham manager Potter, who shared the same excitement about facing United at the MetLife Stadium.
Potter also expressed his task at hand at having to manage the workload between training sessions and pre-season friendlies on tour.
Potter said: “It’s been a really good trip so far. We’ve adapted to the conditions here – it’s quite warm, so we’re just making sure the players are climatised and have adjusted after the travel.
It’s not my first time in the United States, but it’s always great to explore unfamiliar places and get out and about.
“I had an event in New York on Thursday, which was good, and I’ve managed to see some of the nice views and skylines in the city.
“But it’s a balance, and we’ve focused in training on putting in the hard work and making sure we’re ready to go against Manchester United.
“We’ve had two good training days, so now we’re looking forward to the game tomorrow.”
He added:” It’s always nice to play Manchester United, and it’s at the MetLife Stadium, which I’m really looking forward to. I’ve not been yet, and it’s meant to be fantastic.”
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