AFP, Manchester :
Manchester United ended last season with disappointment on the field and uprising among their support off it, but the rancour has dissipated as two major signings have allowed the Red Devils to look ahead to the new campaign with renewed confidence.
Jadon Sancho’s arrival at Old Trafford from Borussia Dortmund was a drawn out saga two years in the making, but United moved quickly to secure Raphael Varane from Real Madrid.
An outlay of over o100 million ($139 million) has temporarily at least quelled the anger directed at the club’s American owners, the Glazer family, for their attempt to form a breakaway Super League and a perceived lack of investment in the club since a controversial leveraged takeover in 2005.
United’s Premier League clash with Liverpool was postponed in May as fans stormed the pitch before kick-off at a time when they were still shut out from the stadium due to coronavirus restrictions.
With restrictions now eased, Saturday could see the first full house of 76,000 at Old Trafford for 17 months when Leeds visit on the opening weekend of the Premier League season.
But planned protests against the Glazers have been muted with the focus instead on what Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men can achieve once the action gets underway.
Despite defeat on penalties to Villarreal in the Europa League final in May to stretch United’s wait for a trophy to four years, Solskjaer was handed a new three-year contract last month.
The Norwegian has been rewarded for steady progress in his two-and-a-half years in charge.
For the first time since Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013, United have finished in the Premier League top four in two consecutive seasons to secure the lucrative source of Champions League revenue that has allowed the English giants to continue making marquee signings like Sancho and Varane.
However, after a finishing second to Manchester City last season, the pressure is on Solskjaer to end an eight-year wait to win the title.
