Three takeaways from Manchester United's season-opening win

Manchester United started the 2024-25 Premier League season with a 1-0 win over Fulham at Old Trafford on Friday. Erik ten Hag fielded three new additions with Joshua Zirkzee, Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui all receiving playing time. 

However, United had to ride multiple waves of pressure before finding an opening against a stern Fulham team. Here are three takeaways from the Premier League's curtain raiser.

1. United must improve 

Despite a summer training camp that involved less travel and less media, ten Hag told the media during a news conference on Tuesday that his United team wasn't ready for the start of the Premier League.

"The team is not ready, but the league starts," ten Hag said. "There are more managers who definitely have this problem but we have to make a start...We can't hide from it. We can't run away from it. We have to deal with it."

After the European Championships this summer, United can be forgiven for starting a little further behind the eight-ball than they would have liked. However, it was clear throughout the game that there was a lack of cohesion and some tentativeness throughout the squad. Ten Hag is in his third season with United; his style of play and overall brand of football should be clear by now, and his team should feel confident in executing it on the pitch.

United fans will be hoping that style of play finally emerges as the season progresses. For now, they will be happy with a strong defensive performance, a clean sheet and a 1-0 win to get an early three points on the board. 

2. Zirkzee's movement is impressive

United want to play a free-flowing brand of football. To do that, their strikers must be adept at dropping back to provide link-up play and keep momentum building. It should be encouraging, then, that Zirkzee's debut goal came after a piece of link-up play between himself and Casemiro before sprinting into position to get on the end of a low cross into the middle of the box.