FPL Pre-Season Update: Cunha and Elanga Shine, Isak's Absence Explained

Amid the carnival of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) rule change announcements, some actual football broke out on Saturday. Only pre-season football, mind, with meaningful takeaways in short supply at this fitness-building stage of the summer. Nevertheless, 13 Premier League teams were in action on Saturday – and a few things caught our eye. We start our Scout Notes round-ups with Manchester United 0-0 Leeds United and Celtic 4-0 Newcastle United.

MANCHESTER UNITED 0-0 LEEDS UNITED

This friendly in a nutshell: Matheus Cunha isn’t going to solve all of Man Utd’s problems, while Leeds look solid enough not to be write-offs next season. There’s plenty of time in pre-season for both teams to get better or worse, of course.

HOW CUNHA FARED ON HIS DEBUT

Cunha was a bright-ish spark in his 45-minute run-out, playing as the left-sided ’10’ as expected. His driving runs and close control proved problematic for Leeds, who were forced to foul him on several occasions. Teeing up a couple of chances for teammates before the break, he also saw the line-leading Chido Obi nick the ball off his toes when he had been poised to curl goalwards. The Red Devils otherwise, though, were pretty turgid. While this was just pre-season friendly #1, it was also true of Ruben Amorim’s side for much of 2024/25.

BOGLE CATCHES THE EYE

Leeds held their own and arguably looked the most accomplished side for chunks of the game. Really catching the eye, ironically at a time when much focus is now on centre-halves in FPL, was Jayden Bogle. A scorer of six goals in 2024/25, his attacking prowess was on display in Stockholm. Bombing forward from right-back, he very nearly scored from close range in the second half, forcing a save from Tom Heaton. Perhaps lacking the final pass at times, he nevertheless looked dangerous and gave teenage wing-back Diego Leon a torrid afternoon.

CELTIC 4-0 NEWCASTLE UNITED

An alarming-sounding scoreline but Eddie Howe wasn’t too fussed after full-time, highlighting the fact that this was Celtic’s fifth friendly and only Newcastle’s second.

ISAK ABSENCE EXPLAINED

There was no Alexander Isak in the Newcastle squad, prompting questions about his future. Transfer speculation was, in fact, part of the reason Howe omitted him on Saturday.

ELANGA DEBUT

It was a horror show at the back for the Magpies. Goals came from a penalty, a horrible Nick Pope error, a breakaway and a recycled set play. A real shop of horrors at the rear, with established names like Fabian Schar well below par. The lack of full-back pace without Tino Livramento (extended break) and Lewis Hall (injured) was also a factor. Anthony Elanga came on at the interval, replacing positional rival Jacob Murphy.

According to the source: fantasyfootballscout.co.uk.