Ruben Amorim will take charge of his first Manchester United game this afternoon, away to Ipswich Town. The Red Devils are coming off the back of a four-game unbeaten run, with interim manager Ruud van Nistelrooy seeing them to three wins and a draw during his spell in charge.
The competition for places will be tough, with every player looking to impress the new manager. Amorim is set to use his 3-4-3 system that saw so much success at Sporting. There are plenty of options for the Portuguese manager in the attacking areas, as journalist Rich Fay pointed out on Friday…
One player who might not get a starting spot is Marcus Rashford.
Where Rashford fits in under Amorim
Rashford’s campaign has been mixed so far. The United number ten has four goals and three assists in 18 games so far this term, but the number of minutes Erik ten Hag played him for was certainly odd.
Following a goal against Southampton, he was promptly dropped for United’s next league game away to Crystal Palace. In a Europa League game away to Porto, Ten Hag substituted Rashford at half-time after a goal and assist, citing rest as the reason for his withdrawal.
There is perhaps a concern that the United academy graduate has no obvious spot under Amorim. He plays his best football as a winger, although the 39-year-old does not set up with them in his system.
That leaves two potential positions for Rashford to play. One of those is wingback, although to restrict a player of his extraordinary attacking ability to a more defensive role seems like a waste of his talent.
The other role the Englishman could play is as the number nine. Amorim got the very best out of Viktor Gyokeres at Sporting; the Sweden striker scored 66 goals in 68 games under his former manager. It is certainly an environment Rashford could thrive.
However, Rasmus Hojlund is knocking on the door for a starting spot and is a very similar profile to the Sporting centre-forward. Former United scout Mick Brown told Football Insider the Dane is similar to Gyokeres. He explained that like the Swede, Hojlund can “put defenders under pressure, he can be physical and he can run in behind”.
It remains to be seen where Rashford fits into Amoirm’s system, but there might not be a starting sport for him at all against Ipswich. Alejandro Garnacho is another player who might only be a substitute for the Red Devils’ trip to East Anglia.
Why Garnacho may not start against Ipswich
It has been an impressive season for 20-year-old Garnacho. The Argentina international has scored seven goals and has four assists to his name in 18 games. Ten Hag was full of praise for the youngster, describing him as the Red Devils “best player” earlier in the season.
Garnacho record by competition 2024/25 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Stat | Premier League | Europa League | Carabao Cup | Community Shield |
Games | 11 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
Minutes | 713 | 223 | 157 | 31 |
Goals | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
Assists | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Stats from Transfermarkt | ||||
Thus, it might be strange to suggest the United number 17 does not make the starting lineup. However, he largely has the same problem as Rashford, because he seemingly does not fit in anywhere.
There are several players ahead of the youngster in the pecking order for one of the attacking midfield spots. They include the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Mason Mount and Amad, so it is unlikely Garnacho will start as a number 10.
His physical profile does not really suit an Amoirm centre-forward, the mould of Hojlund or Gyokeres, despite his direct nature and pace to run in behind.
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The only place he could likely feature is at wing-back, but United’s new boss told Gary Neville in an interview they will “start with full-backs in wing-back roles because to teach a winger to defend is harder”.
That is not to say that he can’t operate as a wing-back further down the line. He works hard defensively, as shown by his FBref stats. Per 90 minutes in the Premier League this season, the Argentine makes 5.66 ball recoveries, ranking him in the top 7% of wingers.
It is frustrating for Garnacho, who might face a few weeks as a substitute, making cameos off the bench rather than starting games. However, he will be hoping to make an impact still, and eventually break into the starting lineup, be it at wing-back or in a more advanced role.
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