Manchester United have been given a new season boost before playing their first game

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.

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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