United captain Bruno Fernandes started in the middle of a midfield two against Arsenal alongside Casemiro. With Mbeumo and Cunha ahead of him, and Mount looking to drop into the space, Fernandes operated far deeper than United fans have become accustomed to.

United caught the eye in their opening game against Arsenal, and Amorim argued that performance was simply a result of the squad rediscovering their happiness after a pre-season which has left everybody confident of making progress this year.

United went into the new season after finishing 15th in the Premier League and losing the Europa League final to Tottenham the previous term. After the club’s worst top-flight campaign since being relegated 51 years ago, Ruben Amorim will face extra scrutiny if he is unable to turn things around.