Ruben Amorim did not have much time to work with his players after becoming Manchester United head coach.
The Portuguese was forced to learn on the job and experiment with his players over his first five matches.
Now a month into the job, Ruben Amorim finally has a strongest XI, but the hectic fixture list means he will have to continue rotating his side over the next few months.
Amorim’s rotation policy appears to be fixing United’s injury crisis with Luke Shaw the only absentee from the training session held before the Europa League clash against Viktoria Plzen.
Amorim has been forced to balance player minutes during his first month at United, but he also believes giving every player an opportunity in the starting XI has improved team spirit.
“Imagine how the dressing room feels when everyone has started in the first three games. They must feel that they are very important to us. That’s the message for everyone. We are all together,” Ruben Amorim said.
Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville during the Premier League match between Nottingham Forest and Tottenham Hotspur at City Ground on December 15, 2023 ...
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Gary Neville slams Ruben Amorim’s rotation at Man United
Amorim has chopped and changed his starting lineup in every game so far, including in the recent defeats to Arsenal and Nottingham Forest.
After the 3-2 defeat to Forest, United legend Gary Neville criticised Amorim’s decision to rotate his side, suggesting that players will feel as though they’re not trusted.
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Speaking on NBC Sports, Neville said: “When you keep changing players, when you keep changing your back three, when you take five players off, you’re basically saying to all of them effectively – because they’ve been left out of the starting XI – you don’t trust them.”
What Man United players think about Ruben Amorim’s rotation
As Amorim introduces his 3-4-3 system, he has experimented with several players in new positions.
Some have worked superbly with Noussair Mazraoui thriving at centre-back and Amad Diallo becoming undroppable at right wing-back.
Others have had to sit on the bench even after a strong performance. Rasmus Hojlund started as a substitute against Everton having scored twice against Bodo/Glimt a few days earlier.
Amorim’s rotation has been a controversial topic, but the players in the dressing room are in favour of the strategy.
According to Manchester Evening News, the majority of United’s squad appreciate Amorim’s rotation despite “murmurs of discontent” from a small minority.
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