Ruben Amorim believes his Manchester United players are tougher and stronger, both mentally and physically, compared to last season.
The Reds were unfortunate to be beaten 1-0 in last weekend's Premier League opener against Arsenal, with the onus now on gaining a positive result against Fulham on Sunday.
United will be backed by yet another terrific sold-out away end at Craven Cottage, with hoards of fans heading down to the capital for the 16:30 BST kick-off.
Speaking regarding his side's toughness, the boss believes a testing summer campaign has shaped his players into becoming more mentally resilient.
“Yeah, I think you can see that is a fact,”
said Ruben when asked if his squad are tougher than last season.
“Because you can see with the data. Then, with confidence sometimes you react a little bit sooner and you are near the ball.
”Again, against Arsenal we were sometimes building up but we had to kick the ball, and you could see the reaction of the players in the second balls — the duels — we are stronger, we are recovering our positions faster.
“I remember at least two times in the corner, one time with [Martin] Odegaard running with the ball, and you could look at our players and we are sprinting full power.Even Casemiro, is in a different pace. So, all these things, I can watch the games since the start of the season and we are consistent in that, so that is important.“
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After arriving midway through the 2024/25 season, Ruben admitted he needed more time overall to try and change the way of thinking his players felt when stepping out onto the pitch.
Now, with a full summer of prep behind them, the boss admits having more time to learn how his players operate is a bonus to both himself and his coaching staff.
“Yeah, it’s also more time to train, to prepare the games, so they known what I should do in this game,”
added the 40-year-old.
“So you have more time to train your base, and then in the last two days, you have time to prepare the game in the strategical part. I think it’s simple.”