Ruben Amorim will soon get his first taste of action as Manchester United manager, with the Red Devils facing off against Ipswich Town on the road to kickstart the new Portuguese boss’ reign in the Premier League.
This is a potential banana skin, considering the Tractor Boys are just fresh off a shock away win at Tottenham Hotspur, on top of the fact Kieran McKenna’s past Man United loyalties will mean he’s keen to get one over on the brand new face in the Old Trafford hot-seat.
Beyond this opening test in Suffolk, Amorim will also already be thinking about any potential additions he could make to his squad, with the potential for him to be prioritising a new central midfielder to partner Manuel Ugarte.
Ugarte’s importance under Amorim
It has been well documented now the past both Amorim and Ugarte have shared together, with the Uruguayan winning himself a big move to Paris St. Germain in the summer of 2023 after starring under the 39-year-old’s watchful eye at Sporting CP.
Of course, the Premier League is a different kettle of fish altogether to Amorim’s native country, but the fresh face in the Theatre of Dreams dug-out will want to get even more out of the 23-year-old who was beginning to shine under the interim reign of Ruud van Nistelrooy.
Ugarte stood out in the Dutchman’s final match as temporary boss, with the United number 25 winning ten duels and only misplacing four of his 51 passes as the Red Devils breezed past Leicester City 3-1 in confident fashion.
He will have to make sure his performance levels are more consistent, so Amorim continues to pick him, having struggled to get going against Chelsea in early November when only two of his 13 duels on the day were successfully won.
That could well happen under the familiar managerial methods of Amorim, with the former Sporting midfielder perhaps joined by a new face in the middle of the park who could go on to become United’s very own Rodri.
The signing who could be Man United’s own Rodri
The only issue here would be getting all of United’s central midfield talents into one starting lineup, with Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo also options at his disposal that could fit into his distinctive 3-4-3 set-up.
But, it seems as if another midfielder is on his transfer wish list, with German Leon Goretzka one player taking their fancy. However, according to TEAMTalk, they fill face competition from Bundesliga outfit Union Berlin.
Frustrated by his current situation in Bavaria, having not been a regular starter since Vincent Kompany’s arrival as manager, the Red Devils could swoop in to breathe life back in the 29-year-old’s career.
Said to be the eighth most similar player in Europe’s top five leagues to Rodri when comparing the two midfielders on FBRef, this could be a perfect route to go down if United finally axe Casemiro down the line, with Goretzka a smart addition judging by his eye for a goal and assist too.
Goretzka vs Rodri over the last year | ||
|---|---|---|
Stat – per 90 mins | ||
Shots in total | 1.73 | 1.63 |
Shot-creating actions | 3.03 | 4.63 |
Passes attempted | 75.42 | 113.39 |
Pass completion % | 90.1% | 91.5% |
Progressive passes | 7.52 | 12.00 |
Progressive carries | 2.53 | 2.73 |
Successful take-ons | 0.58 | 2.73 |
Progressive passes received | 2.30 | 1.77 |
Stats by FBRef | ||
Although the Ballon d’Or winner is, of course, the better player, the wantaway Bayern star and Rodri are similar in many aspects of their respective games, with Goretzka actually bettering the Spaniard in shots averaged per match across the last year.
Goretzka has bagged 41 strikes for the Bundesliga giants, on top of picking up 46 assists, leading to shouts from football journalist Stefan Bienkowski that the 29-year-old is even “world-class.”
He could well be a great alternative to Fernandes in this regard, therefore, with Goretzka also mirroring his Spanish counterpart when looking at his impressive trophy haul at Bayern.
The 29-year-old has picked up five Bundesliga titles playing in Germany, which isn’t too dissimilar to Rodri’s four Premier League title triumphs in a row, with the addition of the 6 foot 2 star giving United a classy option who could be a statement buy for the new Amorim era.
Whatever does take place on the transfer front moving forward, United supporters will just hope Amorim settles in well initially, with lots of flashy buys already being hyped up.
Related
Amorim’s perfect wing-back: Ten Hag sold Man Utd gem now worth 132% more
The talented youngster should have been a hit for Man Utd.
