Ruben Amorim watched on as his Manchester United side failed to fire once again away to Nottingham Forest on Tuesday night, albeit with the Portuguese coach perhaps as culpable as anyone for those struggles in front of goal.
The 40-year-old had bizarrely opted not to start Rasmus Hojlund at centre-forward for the trip to the City Ground, despite the fact that the struggling Dane had finally ended a 21-game goal drought at Leicester City prior to the international break.
That move was all the more perplexing considering that his replacement, Joshua Zirkzee, had even admitted to TNT Sports pundit Rio Ferdinand prior to the match that he isn't an orthodox striker - a fact that was evident as the Dutchman failed to register a single touch in the opposition box in the first half.
To Amorim's credit, the former Sporting CP boss recognised his mistake after introducing Hojlund at the break, although despite a few clever runs from the 22-year-old - as well as an effort that lashed into the side netting - the club's number nine never truly looked like getting on the scoresheet.
Zirkzee-Man-Utd-Forest
With talk already rife regarding the potential signing of a new centre-forward this summer, namely Victor Osimhen, that need was heightened even further as Amorim was forced into chucking on Harry Maguire as an auxiliary striker in the closing stages as a last resort.
Harry Maguire's late cameo vs Forest
Having previously also deployed Kobbie Mainoo as a false nine against Crystal Palace in early February, the signs are there that the United boss isn't fully invested in his striking options, a fact that Maguire's impact certainly exposed.
After Zirkzee toiled and Hojlund also struggled to get into the game, United's two best chances ultimately fell the way of the England international, as he made a nuisance of himself in the Forest box.
Looking like an old-fashioned number nine, the 32-year-old was unable to convert after heading Patrick Dorgu's cross wide with the goal gaping, before coming even closer to snatching a draw at the death.
The 6 foot 4 centre-back brought the ball down and prodded it goalbound in the final knockings of stoppage time, only to see his last-gasp effort denied by opposite number, Murillo, on the line.
While those two openings perhaps came amid the mere chaos of throwing Maguire into the fray, it is telling that the experienced defender posed more of a threat in just under ten minutes than Zirkzee and Hojlund provided in 87 minutes prior to that.
Maguire-Man-Utd-Premier-League-Forest
Unless Amorim looks to mirror Mikel Arteta's Mikel Merino experiment in even more extreme fashion - with the Spaniard now scoring five goals in eight games as Arsenal's makeshift striker - then Maguire won't be a short-term solution up top.
A permanent role change could be needed elsewhere, however, with regards to Bruno Fernandes.
Why Amorim needs to permanently change Fernandes' role
The Man Utd "genius" - as hailed by former boss Erik ten Hag - was shifted back into a number ten berth against Nuno Espirito Santo's side, having largely operated in a deep-lying role in recent weeks.
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On the evidence of his first-half display, the Portuguese playmaker seemingly appears better suited to being a permanent fixture of the midfield two, rather than operating in a more advanced role, having struggled to dictate proceedings in the opening 45.
While the 30-year-old did force a save from Matz Sels early on, after combining with Alejandro Garnacho, he largely found himself marked out of the game by opposition skipper, Ryan Yates, having been forced to then drop deeper anyway to try and get on the ball.
Fernandes' stats vs Forest
Stat
Touches
Pass accuracy
Key passes
Shots on target
Shots off target
Big chances created
Successful dribbles
Duels won
Long balls completed
Possession lost
Dribbled past
Stats via Sofascore
It wasn't until the half-time change, which saw Hojlund replace Manuel Ugarte, that Fernandes started to take control, a fact that was epitomised by his stunning switch to pick out the advancing Garnacho in behind.
In all, the £300k-per-week talisman registered six key passes on the night, with his creative quality in possession now looking better suited to that midfield berth, rather than as part of the forward line.
Bruno-Fernandes-Man-Utd-Forest
This isn't a one-off either, with Fernandes having sparked a dramatic comeback against Everton back in February, after moving into the midfield two on the hour mark.
That has largely been his home since then, resulting in a run of form that saw the midfield maestro score against the likes of Fulham, Arsenal and Leicester, having also bagged a hat-trick in the Europa League against Real Sociedad.
To see the in-form star shining in that deeper berth is perhaps no surprise considering he has previously hinted at his desire to move "further back" as his career progresses, having also pointed to the win over the Toffees in April 2023, in which he lined up as a number six, as "one of the most complete games [he's] played, at all levels".
Interim boss Ralf Rangnick had even suggested prior to that that Fernandes was better suited away from an attacking midfield role, having stated in 2022:
“I think for him, it’s better than being pinned to a no.10 position because he can then make himself available in different areas of the pitch, not only in the centre."
Getting Fernandes closer to goal has largely looked the best solution to help reinvigorate the floundering attacking unit, yet with Mason Mount returning, and with Kobbie Mainoo and Amad Diallo also in line to feature again this season, there are others perhaps better suited to that advanced berth.
As such, while the Maguire experiment may prove a short-lived change, the new United skipper must now enjoy a permanent switch to become one part of the first-choice midfield duo moving forward.
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Man Utd once again came up short in the final third, as Nottingham Forest ran out 1-0 winners