The feeling inside Manchester United heading into the new season is one of cautious optimism. Cautious being the key word.

After the initial excitement of spending £200 million on new attacking players fades, and the regular season begins, it’s expected that some familiar challenges will resurface.

However, there is optimism among Ruben Amorim, his coaching team, and the players—including Joshua Zirkzee, Andre Onana, and Benjamin Sesko, who were enthusiastic during training on Sunday—that improvements are not just possible but necessary, beginning with their game against Arsenal on Sunday.

Last season, United had only one player, Amad Diallo, in the top 56 Premier League scorers from open play, with eight goals. They were last for headed goals, scoring just four, and second-worst in shot conversion with an 8.33% success rate, despite having the seventh-highest number of shots (528). Only two United players made it to the top 50 in terms of chances created.

These statistics were concerning for key figures like director of football Jason Wilcox, CEO Omar Berrada, and minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, highlighting the urgent need for improvement.

Too often last season Manchester United just could not score enough goals

United have spent £210million this summer with the sole aim of fixing their lack of goals

This is why United focused all their summer signings on strengthening their attack. The club brought in new forward players for a collective £210 million, and insiders have high hopes for them. Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, and Benjamin Sesko together scored 58 goals across all competitions last season, outperforming the front lines of Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, and Tottenham.

Additionally, Cunha and Mbeumo, who joined in time to participate in United’s pre-season tour in the United States, were among the top 20 in the Premier League for chances created last season.

Caution is required, though. That much is clear from a pre-season that showed many positives – particularly in a 4-1 blowout win over Bournemouth – but many familiar weaknesses.

There were moments in the 1-1 draw with Fiorentina where United’s front three pressed together and left their two-man midfield exposed. Their frailties from set-pieces once again reared their ugly head for Fiorentina’s goal. Failure to address set-piece woes will land at the feet of assistant Carlos Fernandes.

Bruno Fernandes and Amad, arguably United’s two best performers last season, are both best suited to playing in one of the No 10 roles and yet this season Fernandes will operate deeper in a midfield two and Amad as the right wing-back.

For all their upside, both present problems tactically for United, most pertinently the midfielder that plays between them given Manuel Ugarte, Casemiro and Kobbie Mainoo have, at times this pre-season, all struggled.

Interest in Brighton’s Carlos Baleba comes as no surprise as Amorim seeks greater pace, power and intensity from the two midfielders tasked with anchoring his entire setup.

That 5-2-3 press can be the root of a huge problem if the front three are bypassed easily – as Arsenal might on Sunday when creating a big overload with the likes of Martin Zubimendi, Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard and Myles Lewis-Skelly all moving into a central area. As soon as that bypass happens, those four names will only have two midfielders to get through – and one of them, Fernandes, is not in the side for his defensive contribution. So a tweak may well be needed.

Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte have both struggled at times in pre-season 

United have fallen head over heels for Brighton’s Carlos Baleba as a solution to their defensive midfield role

In Amorim’s first game in charge away against Ipswich Town it was visible how he was having to direct players to be in positions he wanted. There was some confusion, he said later. That confusion is still present in some phases of games.

A key part of his plan for the season ahead is that no European football equals one game per week and a greater level of time on the training pitch is afforded to him and the players as a result.

This is important not least to ingratiate new players into the setup but also for Amorim to hold more of his detailed tactical walk-throughs. Players are physically moved into very specific positions for phases with and without the ball. It is vital his messaging now translates into games.

‘The big thing that I like the most is now there’s going to be no excuses,’ Diogo Dalot, one of the newly-appointed six-man leadership group, said last week. ‘Ultimately, the thing that will define us is what we do on the pitch. I think what is going to bring joy to the fans, joy to ourselves is winning games.

‘We’re getting all the conditions (at Carrington) to put us in the best position to win. And then we just have to make that final step. I think we will reach a point, hopefully, where we can almost play with our eyes closed. We know where everybody is going to be on the pitch.’

There have been green shoots of life in his coaching. Leny Yoro, 19, has improved significantly since becoming a mainstay in the team, while Patrick Dorgu was one of the biggest winners of pre-season and looks set to offer better balance and attacking threat at left wing-back than he was able to show in his first six months at the club.

Fitness has improved immeasurably – the use of STATSports’ Apex 2.0 GPS performance tracker vests worn by the players serves Amorim and his staff with extremely detailed information on who is and who isn’t running hard.

GPS data from training sessions is fired back to an iPad for Amorim, his coaches and analysts to lean on in real time leaving players with no hiding place. Those falling short of standards are being called out in front of the entire group. But what hasn’t been shaken during the summer is that a lack of fluidity and an over-reliance on creating ‘moments’ through individual brilliance still exists.

Leny Yoro is blossoming into a fine young central defender, and will be key to what United do this season

Patrick Dorgu was one of the biggest winners of pre-season and looks set to offer better balance and attacking threat at left wing-back than he was able to show in his first six months

United ranked first in the league last season for successful passes in their own half, making 8,845, a symptom of using a flat back five and playing at a pace that was no threat to opponents. It was a further sign that they struggled for creativity and ideas in possession.

The idea this time around is for a fitter squad to have a clearer idea of a 3-4-2-1 system that Amorim has no plans to shelve any time soon. It’s to play on the front foot with attacking wing-backs in Dorgu and Amad, and be able to move quicker in transition through Cunha and Mbeumo. Each of the three new arrivals are expected to address a dreadful team conversion rate in front of goal.

But a goalkeeping unit that doesn’t inspire confidence, slow build-up play and an unconventional midfield pairing that too often proves easy to play through will give Arsenal plenty of hope that Sunday may not be the brave new dawn many United fans are holding out for.

‘I can feel the improvements in the environment now that the right details are in place to help us all to be better,’ Amorim wrote in his programme notes at the weekend. ‘The players we worked with last season are looking stronger, and we have made some important additions to the squad. We can all see that the confidence in the group is growing, and we feel like a different team already.’

Come Sunday afternoon against an Arsenal side that are under massive pressure themselves, the proof will be in the pudding.