Rúben Amorim is yet to start his best XI at Manchester United, and three changes are needed in order to create it on the field.
Rúben Amorim is finally getting to grips with his Manchester United squad as he approaches the end of his first month as the side’s head coach.
Amorim has already expressed his admiration for players such as Noussair Mazraoui, Leny Yoro, and Amad Diallo, while others, such as Christian Eriksen and Victor Lindelöf, are yet to get a real shot in the side.
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Across his first five games, Amorim’s side have won two, lost two, and drawn one, scoring ten goals and conceding eight in the process – highlighting that both offensive and defence issues remain rife.
The 39-year-old has so far issued a policy of heavy rotation for each game, citing that he needs to rest players so they have time to train with two games a week a regular occurrence over the next few months.
Amorim’s best XI
Although the head coach has played five different sides during his opening games, many agree that none of them have been his best team. After a few weeks of experimentation, Amorim’s best XI is starting to take shape.
André Onana, of course, would be in goal. Although the club rate second choice Altay Bayındır, it’s expected he will leave in the coming months as he’s too good to remain a reserve option.
In defence, with the return of Leny Yoro, Rúben Amorim has a centre-back who is well suited to the right defensive role in his system. Matthijs de Ligt is the clear first choice in the middle, with Lisandro Martínez providing a left-footed option Yoro’s opposing side.
While Noussair Mazraoui has been fantastic across the back three in the last month, his best role is still in his natural right-back position – which is the first of three major position changes that need to happen.
Amorim likes to have one of his wing-backs as a more attacking outlet while the other remains a little deeper, and if Mazraoui operates on the right side, this gives Alejandro Garnacho the chance to thrive on the left, which would be another big change.
The youngster has failed to impress in the attacking midfield position, but his workrate and ability to beat his man out wide, combined with defensive reinforcement from Martínez, could make him a fantastic option at left wing-back.
Garnacho would then be licence to attack on the left, meaning if the side needed, they could shift to a back four, with Martínez filling in at left-back and Mazraoui dropping into a right full-back position, with Yoro and De Ligt in the middle.
With the wing-back areas filled, this would leave Amad Diallo free to play closer to goal, which is where he thrives the most – especially in the left attacking midfield role. Although Bruno Fernandes has occupied that position a lot in recent weeks, Amorim has explained he feels as if the captain’s abilities may be well suited to a deeper role.
Should Fernandes play in that midfield slot, he could partner well with Manuel Ugarte, who has thrived as a defensive midfielder under both Amorim and Ruud van Nistelrooy in the last six weeks.
Amorim has shown his appreciation for Mount, and during the international break, Mount was seen to be occupying the right attacking midfield space, and if the 39-year-old believes that United’s No. 7 has a big future at the club, this would be the most optimal place to play him, albeit the third significant change from the XIs Amorim has played so far.
Finally, out of Amorim’s three striker options, Rasmus Højlund is the most obvious choice. As he is a great presser, good with his feet, and eager to learn, Højlund compliments the attacking duo of Amad and Mount behind him, as well as being a good target for Mazraoui and Garnacho to find from wide crosses.
Amorim’s best Man United XI
Onana, Yoro, De Ligt, Martínez, Mazraoui, Ugarte, Fernandes, Garnacho, Amad, Mount, Højlund.
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