Erik ten Hag's side are the last team to take to the field as they host Wolves at Old Trafford in their opening Premier League match.
Manchester United fans watching the opening weekend of the Premier League will have been encouraged by what they saw.
Erik ten Hag's side have had to wait their turn to get their campaign up and running as they host Wolves on Monday night. United will want to get off to the perfect start against the team perhaps most surrounded in chaos as the season begins.
It's not been ideal preparation for Wolves, with Gary O'Neil only installed in the hot seat last week. Fans' mood is low after a summer of one-way transfer activity that has seen the likes of Ruben Neves and Raul Jimenez exit Molineux.
United's primary goal this season has to be improvement. Whether that is rising up the league table in terms of standing or narrowing the points gap between themselves and the top two.
The opening weekend of the Premier League is a time for curiosity, not conclusions. But United fans will have been encouraged by what transpired.
Although Manchester City and Arsenal did little to quieten expectations they will be the teams to beat, the surrounding pack hardly laid down a marker. Except for Newcastle United, of course.
The Magpies have been widely written off in most pre-season predictions due to concerns about the size of their squad and readiness to compete on several fronts. By contrast, Unai Emery's Aston Villa had been heavily talked up and so the 5-1 mauling at St James' Park was a surprise to most neutrals but should it have been?
Though Eddie Howe's side delivered an emphatic response to the doubters, the concerns about how far the squad will stretch are valid. They will be more heavily challenged this time around to finish in the top four again.
Perhaps most intriguing was the battle at Stamford Bridge. Liverpool fielded four attackers and two numbers 10s in an attempt to compensate for their defensive issues. That probably tells its own story.
Whilst the pre-match jousting had been in the transfer market, with Chelsea coming up trumps in that Moises Caicedo-shaped scrap, both teams landed blows on the pitch. If anything, it showed how both teams are in transition and will need time to bed in their new players.
Liverpool have an entirely new midfield and haven't solved their Trent Alexandar-Arnold conundrum. Chelsea are a team in transition though you'd anticipate they'll improve as the games wear on under Mauricio Pochettino.
Away from the Bridge, life after Harry Kane was sticky for Tottenham Hotspur. They were ahead, then behind and finished up with a point against Brentford.
In 90 minutes, they encapsulated why fans can be excited about Ange-ball but why they may not trouble the top four. They'll hand out a few bloody noses along the way this season but will get bopped back on a few occasions too.
All in all, it was a good weekend for United. If Ten Hag can match last year's levels, or improve, a top-four finish should be their minimum aim. It's only matchday one but the pre-season expectations were mirrored on the field.
Little from the opening weekend should scare United fans. The challenge will be to close the gap on City and Arsenal but there is enough in the squad to keep the chasing pack at arm's length.
Of course, as Ten Hag likes to stress, the most important thing is what United do. Well, three points at Old Trafford will give fans optimism that this will be a season of progression, not regression.