Rúben Amorim has given a hint as to who will start as Manchester United’s striker against Arsenal amid a Premier League squad return for young striker Chido Obi.
Manchester United are returning to Premier League action as they welcome Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal to Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon.
Last time out, Rúben Amorim’s men played a 1-1 draw against Real Sociedad in midweek after Joshua Zirkzee’s opening goal was equalised through a baffling penalty call that saw the game in San Sebastian end even.
United have already played Arsenal twice this season, losing 2-0 at The Emirates in December before beating the North London side at the same venue the following month, with a 1-1 draw in the FA Cup being decided on penalties and going in favour of Amorim’s men.
With the Premier League title chasers visiting Old Trafford for the first time with Amorim at the helm, the 40-year-old head coach will be looking to kick on a run of good form against Arteta’s team.
Amorim hands striker hint
Rasmus Højlund has not scored in his last 19 appearances for the club, but many fans will forgive him for not netting against Real Sociedad after he was not supplied with sufficient chances, with many pointing toward Diogo Dalot as the culprit for this.
Young striker Chido Obi is set to return to the side this weekend after being omitted from the Europa League squad for the rest of the season, but speaking in his post-match press conference, Amorim hinted that Højlund will likely start against Arsenal.
The United boss explained that he was happy with Højlund’s energy in Spain and that he will be able to make improvements “in the next game,” which in this case, is against Arsenal.
“He is trying really hard. He gave everything. He makes the runs,” Amorim said of Højlund after the Europa League draw.
“We know that he also has [to play against] a high line and he uses this space to win, to fight. The other things are going to appear in the right moment. He has to continue to play, not be anxious in that position.
“He did a great run to win the position. Sometimes the ball comes, sometimes it doesn’t. So he needs to think in the best way, in this case, in the next game.”
Obi must be used off the bench
Although Obi was given a few minutes against Tottenham earlier this year and played around 20 minutes against Everton last month, it was his cameo against Fulham in the FA Cup last week that had fans applauding the 17-year-old.
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Obi is not fit and ready enough to be leading the line for United on a consistent basis, but he had three big chances against Fulham, which he mostly created for himself, and this performance in the second half and in extra time showed a teenager who was growing in confidence.
He linked up well with Zirkzee in attack, with the pair growing a clear bond both on and off the pitch, and it’s expected that Obi will continue to be used as a bench option for Amorim across the rest of this season.
There are also some murmurs that Amorim may choose to use him as a striker from the start when United play Leicester City next weekend, although these remain rumours for now.
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