Manchester United make the trip to bottom-of-the-table Wolverhampton Wanderers as Molineaux plays host on Monday night. Ruben Amorim’s side will aim to return to winning ways after a loss to 10-man Everton at home, which was followed by a draw against West Ham United.
A congested Premier League table might see Man United fall into the bottom half before kickoff, but such is the volatile nature of the league that they could be pushing close to the UEFA Champions League spots with a win. There’s no such motivation for Wolves, who have two points from 14 games this season and are staring relegation in the face.
It’s the sort of fixture that seems a guaranteed victory on paper, but given United’s unpredictability this season, this has the potential to go pear-shaped.
Here we look at five key talking points ahead of the match:
Matheus Cunha makes his return with United needing firepower
Joshua Zirkzee retained his starting spot against West Ham, but Amorim’s side had four shots on target with 65% possession, which reveals how effective the Dutch striker was. Instead, the Portuguese manager might be tempted to restore Mason Mount to his lineup, and push Matheus Cunha up-front.
Cunha, after all, returns to a club where his 17 goals were instrumental in Wolves finishing 16th last season. He knows to find the net at Molineux, and given United’s troubles against low blocks, his trickery in and around the box might prove more effective than Zirkzee.
It seems incongruous that a club that has only kept a single clean sheet all season needs to sort out their attacking issues. However, United have fluffed their lines in winnable games like these, mostly because they’ve failed to score enough goals. Familiar surroundings might prove the trick for Cunha, who in fact scored when Wolves beat United 2-0 at Molineux last season.
Is Amorim ignoring United’s DNA?
‘Youth. Courage. Success’ — a motto deeply embedded in Manchester United’s DNA, but Amorim appears to not be putting too much stock in it. Kobbie Mainoo, product of United’s academy, has played all of 171 minutes in the league so far, with all appearances coming from the bench. To drive it home, Amorim opted to bring on defender Lisandro Martinez instead of Mainoo when chasing a late goal against West Ham last week.
The Portuguese manager defended his decision (and Mainoo’s limited game-time) by claiming the 20-year-old Englishman can only fill in for Bruno Fernandes in his midfield system, not Casemiro. However, throwing youngsters in the deep end and watching them thrive was how United earned much of their success over the years. This deliberate omission of a midfielder good enough to start in the Euro 2024 final for England seems short-sighted, especially with Amorim boasting of one of the worst win-rates of any United manager.
A game against bottom-of-the-table Wolves would be ideal for Mainoo to get some game time, especially given he has fond memories of scoring a 97th-minute winner at the Molineux. Should he remain unused on the bench, the 20-year-old ought to really consider his future at the club.
Empty stands at Molineux?
Wolves fan group Old Gold Pack have called for a boycott ahead of this game, pleading with home fans to not enter the stadium until the 15th minute. “If you want to make a real impact, join us in staying outside the ground for the first 15 minutes against Manchester United. A visibly empty stadium speaks louder than any chant, banner, or slogan ever could,” said their statement.
Wolves v Manchester United Protest, 8th December.
Details below.
Keep the moral high ground.#wwfc pic.twitter.com/i8G9nmIuPg
– OGP (@oldgoldpack) December 5, 2025
Given the spotlight on Molineux when Manchester United come to town, empty stands would certainly prove an embarrassment for the Wolves owners, Fosun. However, there remain disagreements within the Wolves supporters, as those opposing Old Gold Pack’s plans feel that a club in their position in the table cannot afford to do without the support from the stands.
A club still searching for a first Premier League win in 14 games this season does need something radical though, and perhaps a fan boycott might motivate the owners to take action by dipping into the January transfer market. If not, Wolves are all but certain to go down, and might even threaten Derby’s record of the lowest points total in a Premier League season (11).
Rob Edwards might look to the past to earn his first win as Wolves boss
As incredible as it sounds, Wolves did the double over United last year, winning 2-0 at home, before a 1-0 victory at Old Trafford. Most of Wolves’ best performers from those games are no longer at the club, but Edwards can still find a winning template from those games.
A low block, ceding possession and allowing United to take more shots from range proved a winning formula, and with Edwards now taking Wolves to rank fifth in sprints in the league since he took over, it is clear his players are willing to put in the hard yards.
The complication for Edwards is where Wolves find their goals. Jørgen Strand Larsen, Jean-Ricner Bellegarde and Jhon Arias have proved ineffective, with the latter yet to contribute to a single goal since his arrival.
Hwang Hee-Chan scored in the 2-0 win at home against United last season, but has yet to feature in any of Edwards’ starting lineups. Given that those three games all ended up as losses for Wolves, perhaps he would be better served in giving the Korean striker a run out. Sticking with players who’ve been involved in seven consecutive Premier League defeats hardly seems prudent.
Amorim, the set-piece specialist?
Quietly, Manchester United have scored ten set-piece goals this season, and are now joint-top with Arsenal. Perhaps it was losing to Mikel Arteta’s side (twice) courtesy set-pieces that finally forced Amorim to explore this avenue of scoring, but the fact remains that United are a much bigger threat now.
The goals against Crystal Palace in the 2-1 win meant United have scored a little above 47% of their goals from set-pieces, the highest proportion of any Premier League side. It’s a far cry from the 2022-23 season under Erik ten Hag, when United scored six set-piece goals all season, the fewest of any Premier League team that year.
However, Manchester United have continued to leak goals this season, and that includes set-pieces. Soungoutou Magassa’s late equaliser for West Ham came from a set-piece situation and despite a lack of height in the squad (usually four to six starters below 6-feet), it’s United’s slower reactions to second balls that have proved their downfall this season. Yet, progress is clearly being made in set-piece situations, and should that result in a victory at Molineux, things will look much rosier for Amorim as they chase Champions League spots.
