Manchester United were held to a 0-0 draw at the Strawberry Arena in Stockholm today by newly promoted Leeds United.

The game was the renewal of a historic rivalry between the two big northern clubs, but failed to provide the entertainment that fans would ordinarily expect.

For both teams it was the opportunity to put vital minutes into the legs of their players as they gear up for another gruelling preseason schedule in preparation for the start of the 2025/26 Premier League season on the 15th of August.

Despite the success of the past season being vastly different for the two clubs that played today, there will also be a contrast in their respective and realistic goals for the upcoming season.

For United, the main goal will obviously be to counteract the mess of last season and aim to finish much higher in the table, preferably in the top six as communicated in the media.

For Leeds, their goal will surely be to build a team and a playing style formidable enough to not only stay in the Premier League, but possibly push for a top 10 finish.

Absolutist conclusions about whether those goals will be reached by United and Leeds cannot be drawn from this single game. However, there were some important talking points in the game that must be addressed, particularly four key things that we learned from the game.

  • Man United’s build-up is still too rigid

This was a problem for most of last season since Ruben Amorim’s arrival, and any notion of a possible noticeable alteration on the horizon was squashed today.

When playing out from the back, especially from goal-kicks, United were too predictable. The ball movement was often too horizontal, which made it easier for Leeds to press United’s build-up players.

This either led to United’s build-up players being closed down hastily, or United’s build-up players being forced to kick the ball long.

The exploitation of United’s first phase of play was often how they lost possession, and this contributed to Leeds having 56% of the ball in the 1st half especially.

It did not help that Amorim was still clearly instructing the middle-centre-back to push up into midfield to potentially receive the ball. The middle-centre-back in the 1st half was Matthijs De Ligt.

United’s build-up was slightly better in the 2nd half with Ayden Heaven, Harry Maguire, Leny Yoro, Patrick Dorgu, and Diogo Dalot facilitating it, but this did not discourage Leeds from pressing them with any less exuberance.

United were fortunate that these players were better at dribbling out of trouble and passing through the lines quicker than the 1st half back-five.

  • Some Man United players are still not being platformed properly

The positioning of a few of the United players was questionable. Bruno Fernandes started the game as the right-10 but it immediately became clear that he was given licence to roam.

However, instead of this resulting in a Matheus Cunha and Chido Obi front two, defensive midfielder Toby Collyer was the one pushing up into the right half-space.

A well-functioning team would usually have its midfielders taking the majority of the responsibility to progress the ball to the forwards, but it was the new signing Cunha who often dropped pretty deep with Fernandes to receive the ball, taking it on the turn to then drive up with it himself.

With Collyer and Casemiro in the starting eleven simultaneously, it was quite baffling that the most creative player in the team was often handling the ball in deeper positions than the two of them during the 1st half.

For most of the 1st half Amad Diallo found himself boxed in deeper on the pitch, unable to really impose himself as we know he can.

It was towards the end of the first half where United had more presence around Leeds’ box that Amad was able to come inside more and cause Leeds some problems.

With the arrival of Bryan Mbeumo imminent, it begs the question as to whether a right-10/right-wing-back dynamic consisting of Mbeumo and Amad can truly be as effective as people expect it to be.

  • Leeds’ in-behind threats can potentially cause havoc in the Premier League

One of the main areas where Leeds caused United problems today was the use of runs in-behind. Jayden Bogle, Largie Ramazani, and Daniel James were some examples of players who had to force United’s defenders to concentrate.

Leeds did well to draw United towards the ball before releasing their runners, often targeting the right side of the pitch. An incident where James was released down the right would have gotten Heaven yellow-carded in a competitive fixture.

Bogle also created a chance in the 1st half from a run he made down the right, and the biggest chance of the game fell to Ramazani making a blind run down the left, only to be denied by a strong Tom Heaton left-hand.

In an era where more space seems to be available on the pitch in the Premier League, it is no surprise that more teams have striven to improve their transition prowess, which is what Leeds will almost certainty have to do if they want to score goals next season and stay in the top-flight.

  • Leeds’ midfield strength continues to grow

Leeds won the overall midfield battle this game, and this was in part thanks to the control provided by Ao Tanaka, Ethan Ampadu, Ilia Gruev, and new signing Sean Longstaff.

The 1st half was a dominant midfield performance from Tanaka, Ampadu, and Gruev, dominating duels as well as possession.

Tanaka played like a true 10, involving himself in multiple areas of the pitch and also providing runs in-behind in transition.

Gruev did a solid job connecting play through the middle, and Ampadu stuck to the base of the midfield to circulate the ball whenever Tanaka and Greuv won the ball back.

Longstaff played with a real maturity in his debut cameo, willingly showing for the ball and also putting a tackle in here and there.

The importance of a robust and technical midfield in the Premier League cannot be understated, so it is encouraging that Leeds will soon be welcoming Hoffenheim defensive midfielder and German international Anton Stach to their troops.

With his experience internationally and in European football, as well as his strong fundamentals as a defensive midfielder, Leeds fans can begin to quell any strong qualms that they might have had about their midfield making the jump from the Championship to England’s top-flight.