Manchester United are looking to bounce back in a big way in 2024/25 after a dire 2023/24 campaign was salvaged by FA Cup glory.

Prior to that day at Wembley and a surprise but deserved victory over Manchester City, United had slumped to eighth in the Premier League, their worst league finish since 1990.

But the club have decided to stick with manager Erik ten Hag, who has ultimately delivered two trophies in two seasons in difficult circumstances, handing the Dutchman a contract extension in early July as a statement of support and backing.

This is a first full season for United under the control of new co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe. A robust new sporting hierarchy is in place, with Omar Berrada now in his job as chief executive after being poached from Manchester City, as well as Dan Ashworth as sporting director and Jason Wilcox as technical director. INEOS bigwigs Sir Dave Brailsford and Jean-Claude Blanc also remain close by.

There are changes afoot at Carrington as redevelopment work gets underway, although it has created some regrettable upheaval, while the tunnel area at Old Trafford has been revamped. There is even a new shirt sponsor in Snapdragon, adorning freshly released kits that have had fans purring.

United haven’t gone mad in the transfer market, ultimately lacking the budget after playing in the Europa League more often than the Champions League in recent seasons, but recruitment has been solid and – arguably more importantly – not overpriced or inefficiently run. The club is managing to command reasonable fees for outgoing players too and the machine feels increasingly well-oiled.

All that is left is to see how things stack up on the pitch.

Here’s 90min’s season preview of Manchester United’s 2024/25 campaign.

For United, 2023/24 was a weird split between success and failure. On the one hand, the league campaign was the worst in a generation. And yet, the season still finished with only the fifth trophy in what is now 11 years since Sir Alex Ferguson retired. It was all the more sweeter the way it happened.

Kobbie Mainoo was also unearthed, with Alejandro Garnacho becoming increasingly important and the raw Rasmus Hojlund capturing the hearts of fans. Together, the trio are the core to build around.

The biggest shirt number change sees Rasmus Hojlund swap last season’s No.11 for the newly vacated No.9. Joshua Zirkzee has subsequently assumed 11, with Leny Yoro taking 15.

Academy graduates Toby Collyer, Harry Amass and Ethan Wheatley have also been handed new digits now that they have been promoted to the first-team.

No.3 and No.4 were later claimed upon the double defensive arrival from Bayern Munich of Noussair Mazraoui and Matthijs de Ligt respectively.

*Numbers subject to change before end of transfer window

In

Out

Home kit

Away kit

Third kit

He’s starting the campaign injured after suffering a minor hamstring problem during pre-season, but Rasmus Hojlund will be looking to substantially build on the 16 goals across all competitions he registered during his debut campaign in 2023/24. The Dane has proven himself a deadly penalty area finisher but is just seeking consistency. He will score plenty with good service.

Marcus Rashford will also be hoping to bounce back from a sub-par season. The home-grown hero only managed eight in all competitions a year after plundering 30. He’s gone over 20 in three of the last five seasons and probably needs an early confidence boost to set him on his way.

Getting back into the Champions League, both for next season and consistently in the future, is absolutely crucial for United, both in terms of the revenue it brings and the attraction for better prospective signings and more lucrative corporate partners.

This is very much another rebuild and there is still some way to go before realistically challenging Manchester City and Arsenal over the course of a full Premier League season. But re-cracking the top four and at least getting close to Liverpool is the minimum expectation. It’s very doable.

Man Utd 2024/25 Premier League prediction – 4th

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