5 Things for Manchester United Fans to Look Forward to in 2016/17 Season

For perhaps the first time since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, there is a widespread spirit of optimism among Manchester United fans ahead of a new season.

There was, in truth, a reasonable amount of hope in 2014, ahead of Louis van Gaal's first season in charge, but between Jose Mourinho's arrival in May and the Red Devils' excellent use of the summer transfer window so far, there is a level of certainty things will be better this time around.

It will not all be wine and roses—it seems far-fetched to imagine Mourinho's men will stroll to the league title at a canter as Sir Alex's side so often did. There is no Champions League football on offer, and it would take until the latter stages for the Europa League to get exciting.

But there are new players to watch and developing players to keep an eye on. There is a manager at the helm with a point to prove and a platform upon which to prove it. It should be a fun time to be a United fan. Let's take a look at some of the reasons why, starting with a couple of bonuses.

Bonus Things to Look Forward To!

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Martial celebrates his FA Cup semi-final winner.

By the halfway mark of last season, coming up with five things to look forward to was a struggle. This time around, keeping it down to five is the challenge. So in addition to the five things that follow, here is an incomplete list of further causes for excitement:

• Anthony Martial continuing his development.
• Another season of seeing David De Gea in action.
• Watching to see whether Mourinho gets the best out of Wayne Rooney or the club moves on from its over-reliance on their captain.
• The re-signing of Paul Pogba, as Fabrizio Romano and Mark Dobson of the Guardian reported could soon happen. This would obviously have made the main list had it been confirmed. 
• Seeing whether Andreas Pereira is given his chance and what he can do.
• Timothy Fosu-Mensah—Just in general.
• The Pep Guardiola-Mourinho rivalry in action.
• The realistic possibility of a bona fide title challenge.

With those out of the way, let's get on with the actual list.

Zlatan!

No footballer should ever be judged by a YouTube compilation. For example, United fans have seen such footage that made Anderson look like a world-beater.

But watching a Zlatan Ibrahimovic video on the site in preparation for the season ahead is a great way to get excited. The clips therein will not be the work of some rigorous editing, the director scouring the archives for a few standout moments. Rather, they are the natural by-product of Ibrahimovic's incredible career. Deciding what to leave out is the challenge.

The prospect of watching Zlatan in action every week is one of the most mouthwatering in recent memory. Yes, he could be a bust. It might be too late for a Premier League move. It may be the step-up from Ligue 1 will be a step too far for the 34-year-old Ibrahimovic.

But the other possibility is he will bring his prolific and varied goalscoring talents to United and the Premier League. And that is a cause for serious excitement. Even if it does not quite work out and he is only a qualified success, his best moments will still be a joy to watch.

An Ibrahimovic-led attack makes facing United a different prospect, and watching him in action is most certainly something to look forward to.

Luke Shaw's Return

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Shaw was one of the few positives in United's 4-1 loss to Borussia Dortmund.

When Luke Shaw took to the pitch in United colours against Wigan Athletic on July 16, it was hard not to become a little emotional.

Here was a player who was absolutely flying before Hector Moreno's reckless challenge broke his leg last September and sidelined him for the rest of the season.

United need him back. His dynamism was much missed on the Red Devils' left flank, and he is just about the archetypal Mourinho full-back. His on-pitch contributions will make a difference to United's attacking purpose, and seeing him develop a partnership with Martial will be intriguing.

But beyond all that, it is just heart-warming to see him play football again. Here was a 21-year-old man living a dream who nearly had that taken away. That he is back and not showing any obvious signs of long-term negative effects is lovely to see.

Here is hoping he has the season he looked destined to have had last time out.

Mkhitaryan Magic

Henrikh Mkhitaryan arrives at United off the back of a brilliant season for Thomas Tuchel's Borussia Dortmund.

The last time an attacking midfielder arrived at United following a brilliant campaign with Borussia, the results were distinctly underwhelming, as Shinji Kagawa badly struggled to adapt. 

However, the circumstances are much more favourable here. Firstly, Mkhitaryan played his best football last season coming off the right of Dortmund's attack, and United's attack has an obvious free slot in that position. Kagawa was the fulcrum of Jurgen Klopp's Dortmund, playing at No. 10 as the side's key playmaker. He rarely had that responsibility after arriving at Old Trafford in 2012.

Mkhitaryan, though, should get to replicate his role under Tuchel much more closely.

Seeing him glide past defenders and pick out a killer through ball for Ibrahimovic or Martial will be a joyous sight. He has a hugely enjoyable range of trickery at his disposal, and with 11 league goals and 15 league assists to his name last season, he clearly does not lack for end product.

His presence should be key if United are to have any success this season.

The Continuing Development of Marcus Rashford

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Rashford's pre-season began in China, but what awaits?

Marcus Rashford's emergence was one of last season's best stories. From his hot streak of goals to the remarkable composure he showed at Euro 2016, Rashford looks ready for the big time. Forensic attention will be paid to Mourinho's use of the youngster given his reputation as a manager who does not give youth a chance.

Hopefully, United's latest local hero will be a good test case. Given his obvious comfort with senior first-team football, Mourinho should have little hesitation in frequently throwing Rashford into the mix. He is unlikely to start ahead of Ibrahimovic, but he should be first-choice backup, and United's new manager should even be prepared to experiment a little with his position, trying him on the right or as part of a front two.

As long as Mourinho manages the situation correctly, seeing Rashford develop looks set to be one of this season's treats.

The Best of Mourinho

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Mourinho meets the press in China.

And speaking of Mourinho managing situations correctly...

His United may not peak in their first season under his command. It may be that another couple of transfer windows will iron out the kinks in the squad even further. But the manager will likely be at his best in the early going.

History has shown the longer he remains at a club, the more likely it is something will go wrong, but he has clearly hit the ground running, and there should be plenty of good moments along the way.

The honeymoon period should be thoroughly enjoyable and appreciated while it lasts. It will be fascinating to see how he handles young players, which formation he prefers and how he approaches specific opponents. After David Moyes and Van Gaal's reigns, it will be a relief to have a manager so gifted at positively affecting a game once it has started.

The long run remains unknown, but in the short term, seeing Mourinho steering United's ship in a new, more promising direction is certainly something to look forward to.