When Manchester United steps onto the grass Wednesday at Soldier Field against Bournemouth as part of the Premier League Summer Series, the Red Devils will be a familiar sight — at least at first glance.
Traveling abroad to prepare for the upcoming season, United will be greeted by thousands of fans eager to see the historic club.
But this is a different United team than it was in the dynasty days of Sir Alex Ferguson, David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo or Wayne Rooney. The 2024-25 team finished in a previously unthinkable 15th place in the Premier League, 42 points behind champion Liverpool.
United still had a chance to somewhat salvage its season and qualify for the 2025-26 Champions League by winning the second-tier Europa League, but it fell 1-0 to Tottenham in the final, depriving the Red Devils of European competition for the first time since 2014-15.
The disastrous season was the culmination of years of drifting after Ferguson’s retirement in 2013, a move that exposed foundational cracks the legendary manager was covering. A combination of poor ownership, lagging infrastructure, managerial instability, incoherent team-building and other factors not only has dropped United behind rivals Liverpool and Manchester City, but also behind smaller clubs such as Bournemouth, which finished 14 points ahead of the Red Devils last season despite a massive gap in resources and worldwide support.
Now United is trying to recover, and that process will continue during the nightcap of a doubleheader that begins with West Ham facing Everton. United is working to integrate new signings Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha, two attacking players who chose to sign with the club despite the absence of Champions League soccer this season.
‘‘They are really humble; that is really important,’’ manager Ruben Amorim, who replaced Erik ten Hag in November to become United’s sixth full-time manager since Ferguson, said last week. ‘‘The best thing [is], they chose to be here. They had other options — Champions League options — and they read everything people say about our club [at the] moment. But they chose to be here, and that is a key point for me.’’
That a United manager would say that is jarring for anybody who has followed English soccer in the last 35 years. Not too long ago, the Red Devils were the first option for any player seeking not only wealth, but trophies. The club had the highest standards in England and was known for its daring and effective style and uncanny ability to snatch victories late in matches.
Instead, new players now are signing on for what’s effectively a rebuilding project, albeit at one of the biggest brands in the world and under an intense glare from media and fans. Few expect United to challenge Liverpool, Manchester City or Arsenal for the league title, and a successful season for the Red Devils would be Amorim establishing himself as their long-term manager while keeping them in contention for a berth in the 2026-27 Champions League.
Cunha, who was acquired from fellow Premier League team Wolverhampton for a reported $83.9 million, said last week he joined his ‘‘dream’’ club and is eager to be part of the process to help the Red Devils climb back up the standings. Certainly, he is aware of the pressure and scrutiny United will face this season and how bumpy the situation might get if it struggles early, but he views it differently.
‘‘I really think the pressure of this club is not really pressure,’’ Cunha said. ‘‘It is a privilege because this is one of the biggest clubs in the world.’’