One of Boxing Day's more intriguing Premier League fixtures takes place at Molineux, where Wolves lock horns with Manchester United.
- Date: 26/12/2024
- Kick-off time: 17:30
- Location: Molineux, Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton Wanderers are currently 18th in the Premier League with 12 points from 17 games. It's been a tough campaign for Wolves so far, whose first few months of the season were so poor that they were forced to part ways with manager Gary O'Neil. It reached a point under O'Neil where performances were so bad that there was little justification for his continuation in the role, which is exemplified by the fact that they've conceded a whopping 40 goals in the league, more than any other side. Wolves' defensive performances have been embarrassing at times, and it will be a point of targeted improvement for new manager Vítor Pereira.
It's a good job, then, that in Pereira's first game in charge, Wolves kept a clean sheet and surged to a thumping win over Leicester, suggesting that this team may not be completely doomed, as many Wolves fans had thought. The squad is still fairly brimming with quality, so if Pereira can put the pieces together, we may see Wolves embark upon a period of sustained improvement in the coming weeks.
They now have a huge chance to make it two wins in a row against a faltering Manchester United side, a team that are also looking for sustained improvement under a new manager.
United, though, have had little luck in that department, as the Red Devils find themselves battling with similar issues despite having changed their manager. They currently find themselves 13th in the league table with 22 points from 17 games, and under Ruben Amorim, Manchester United look almost as abject as they did under Erik ten Hag, which has really underscored just how long it's going to take to get the club competing again.
Amorim's arrival has made one thing clear, though: the players are not up to scratch. Not all of the players, but a huge portion of this United squad is not of the required quality to compete at a good level in the Premier League, and there can be no illusions about the issues stemming from the manager in charge, given the same problems are repeatedly rearing their head, regardless of who is in the dugout.
It already looks as though a rebuild is imminent, with Marcus Rashford's days at Old Trafford now looking numbered after the forward publicly expressed a desire to leave. Other players will follow Rashford out of the door, no doubt, but with INEOS seemingly reluctant to spend big, it could yet take quite a while to perform the necessary amount of surgery on this squad.
After a poor run of results in the league, United need a win here, but as they're facing a side buoyed by the bounce of a new manager, they likely have another very tricky contest in store.
Premier League 
