So far in his Manchester United tenure, being “ruthless” hasn’t been a problem at all for Ruben Amorim but it’s all been by choice, something that won’t be the case with the next one.
From being brutally honest about Marcus Rashford, to acknowledging his own shortcomings at times, Ruben Amorim has been nothing but decisive.
But, what happens when the choice is about choosing between two good options instead of acting to end a bad one?
That’s what faces the Man Utd manager when the team returns from the international break, with the prospect of axing a new favourite for the return of an old one firmly in focus.
Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images
Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images
Ruben Amorim’s Man Utd dilemma
Firstly, it is worth saying that Amorim will be thankful to have this dilemma at all, having been in a position where injuries have made his choices for him!
The silver lining from those injuries is that the player unexpectedly thrown into the spotlight have impressed, thereby leaving him with even more options.
Nowhere has that been truer than in the case of the two No. 10 positions in Amorim’s 3-4-2-1.
Not only has Alejandro Garnacho become a model professional, but Joshua Zirkzee’s position change has freed him up to do what he does best while hiding his flaws.
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It is a good dilemma, therefore, when Mason Mount returns, a player Amorim is a huge fan of and will undoubtedly make his strongest Man Utd XI.
Mount is perfect for that No. 10 position and he can also play as a deeper midfielder. The irony is that Manuel Ugarte and Bruno Fernandes have a stranglehold over the deeper roles, while Joshua Zirkzee and Garnacho look ever-improving in the forward ones.
With Garnacho offering something that none of his teammates do – direct running to scramble defences, the axe will inevitably fall on Zirkzee, a player who’s won Amorim over with his drive and determination.
Mason Mount or Joshua Zirkzee
Amorim will hope that this is a decision he keeps having to make because that would mean Mount has managed to remain fit for an extended period of time.
While Mount makes his strongest XI, Zirkzee has surely won over everyone by thing point to make it a horses-for-course debate instead of a “backup/first-choice” narrative.
If United are facing a team in a low block, then Zirkzee’s on-ball trickery and mastery of close spaces should be preferred over Mount.
In the same vein, Mount should be the option in the bigger games where United will need to buckle down and press players on and off the ball, so his intelligence comes to the fore.
Ultimately, this is the kind of tactical flexibility having more options affords the manager and it’s one Amorim will hope he has for a long time to come.
It arrives, however, with a ruthless decision to be made.