During Ruben Amorim’s five months at Manchester United so far, perhaps no other talking point has been as dominating as the wing-backs in his back-three system.
Ruben Amorim has had to huff and puff, compromise between attack and defence before settling on the safer option, but at the cost of thrust.
Patrick Dorgu has added dynamism to a lacklustre left-side, while Diogo Dalot is enjoying some redemption but the latter’s ideal position is not as a wing-back.
It’s a shame, then, that Man Utd have already sold the player who would’ve been perfect for the role with all the raw tools that could’ve been honed to make him a star.
Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images
Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images
Ruben Amorim’s ideal wing-back
Amorim hasn’t been shy about letting everyone know that the main thing he demands from his wing-backs is the ability to run their socks off.
He uses “physicality” to describe this trait but physicality doesn’t always mean a bigger player with a huge physique, as the increased load can sometimes hamper the player.
Sometimes, it has to do with stamina because, in some ways, Bruno Fernandes is the most physical player in the team despite his slight frame to the naked eye.
In the same vein, Amorim’s ideal right-wing-back would’ve been a player who can overlap for days but in the mold of a classic winger instead of an inside forward.
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Enter Facundo Pellistri, the diminutive Uruguayan sold by United last summer to Panathinaikos after never giving him an extended run in the team.
To be clear, Pellistri hasn’t set the world alight in Greece unlike Anthony Martial, who’s shone with AEK Athens, but Amorim’s demands from the wing-back role make it easy to look back on what Pellistri could’ve been.
Facundo Pellistri continues unfortunate Man Utd trend
Pellistri’s suitability as a potential wing-back continues an unfortunate Man Utd trend where their inability to plan beyond their immediate manager has left Amorim with an imbalanced squad.
Take, for example, Scott McTominay, shining at Napoli now. If Amorim was to create his ideal football player in midfield, he would probably look a lot like McTominay.
Omar Berrada is hoping to address this problem where United buy for their manager, instead of buying for the club and its overarching vision.
Simply too much money has been wasted and left on the table due to this short-term manner of approaching the transfer market.