Sports Mole looks at how Manchester United could line up under the leadership of new head coach Ruben Amorim.
Ruben Amorim‘s tenure at Manchester United officially begun on Monday, with the Portuguese arriving in Manchester shortly after guiding Sporting Lisbon to a 4-2 win over Braga in the Primeira Liga on Sunday night.
The 39-year-old has already made his presence felt at the club’s Carrington training complex, meeting with the likes of Luke Shaw, Mason Mount, Leny Yoro and Kobbie Mainoo.
Amorim has taken charge during an international break, and he will not have the majority of his players back until the end of next week, which makes his preparations for his first match even more difficult.
The Portuguese will take Man United to Portman Road on November 24, with Ipswich Town proving to be his first opponents in the Premier League, and it will be fascinating to watch the highly-rated head coach in action.
For now, Amorim is still waiting for confirmation of his visa, while the club need to reveal which staff members will be joining him at the club, but Ruud van Nistelrooy‘s exit after his spell as interim manager has already been confirmed.
Man United have entered a new era under the leadership of a coach regarded to be one of the most talented in world football, and it will be interesting to see what the season holds for the giants of English football, who are only four points off third in the Premier League table.
Here, Sports Mole looks at how Man United could line up under Amorim, with the head coach expected to make a number of immediate changes to the team.
Amorim has largely played a flexible 3-4-3 system at Sporting, so it is fair to assume that he would be looking to bring that to Man United, which would be a complete shift for the team.
Andre Onana‘s spot between the sticks is not in doubt; the Cameroonian has been much-improved after a shaky first season at Old Trafford, and with Amorim liking his goalkeeper to take a big role in the build-up, Onana fits the brief.
Yoro is yet to make his competitive debut for Man United, having fractured his foot during pre-season, but the Frenchman is expected to be back in the near future, having recently returned to full training sessions, and the generational talent has the potential to transform Man United’s defence, which currently lacks recovery pace.
Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez would also be starters under Amorim, with Diogo Dalot or Noussair Mazraoui as the right-sided wing-back, while Shaw – back in training after recovering from a calf issue – is perfect for the left-sided wing-back role.
Amorim’s style has worked well in Portugal, but it remains to be seen whether it can be successful in the Premier League.
Manuel Ugarte has been underused this season, with the Uruguay international bizarrely dropped for the West Ham clash after putting in an outstanding performance against Fenerbahce in the Europa League, and he would surely be a key player under Amorim, as his style and system requires a ball-winning midfielder.
Against Leicester City last time out, Ugarte made eight tackles, which is the most of any Man United player in a Premier League match since records began, and he could thrive in the new system.
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Mainoo is currently on the sidelines through injury, but he should be back before the end of the month, and there will undoubtedly be a role for the outstanding young talent in the XI.
The front three is where it gets interesting; Rasmus Hojlund should be the centre-forward, as Joshua Zirkzee has struggled to impress this season, while Alejandro Garnacho has been Man United’s biggest attacking threat, and there simply has to be a spot in the XI for the Argentina international, most likely down the left.
That only leaves one position and two players fighting for it, with Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes yet to be named in this piece.
It is incredibly difficult to imagine Fernandes being dropped even considering his inconsistent form this season, as he is a reliable contributor of goals and assists, and he is capable of thriving down the right, providing that he has the licence to drift into the middle and is not asked to operate in a wide area.
Amorim’s arrival would not end Rashford’s career, far from it, as the England international could certainly find himself in the XI on a consistent basis if he is able to show his best form once again.
Amorim generally looks for his side to flood the penalty box when attacking, so Garnacho, Hojlund, Fernandes and Mainoo could be the most advanced of the 10 outfield players, while Garnacho and Fernandes would be asked to come inside to open up space for the wing-backs, with Dalot in particular better going forward then he is defensively.
The wide players in Amorim’s system do tend to be direct runners, which suggests that Rashford may be given the nod over Fernandes for certain matches, and it will be fascinating to see how the Man United side evolves under their new head coach.
