Sky Sports pundit Micah Richards could not overlook a major difference between the roles of two Manchester United stars in the Fiorentina match on Saturday afternoon.
Manchester United hosted Fiorentina at Old Trafford and the Red Devils signed off their pre-season summer tour in winning fashion ahead of the new season.
Simon Sohm put Fiorentina 1-0 up in the opening 10 minutes, but United found an equaliser after Robin Gosens turned the ball past David de Gea in the first half.
United and Fiorentina took a 1-1 scoreline into half-time and neither the Serie A club nor the Premier League side could find the winner after the break at Old Trafford.
Ruben Amorim watched on from the sidelines as United came out on top against Fiorentina on the weekend, with the Red Devils clinching the win on penalties.
Altay Bayindir denied Fiorentina defender Fabiano Parisi from the spot-kick and all five of United’s penalty takers successfully converted their attempts on Saturday.
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Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim looks on during the pre-season friendly match between Manchester United and Fiorentina at Old Trafford in 2025 in Manchester, England.
Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images
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Micah Richards noticed something about Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha in Man Utd’s win vs Fiorentina
Ruben Amorim shook up his Manchester United system by deploying Mason Mount in a false nine-esque role for the penalty shootout win over Fiorentina at Old Trafford.
Mason Mount started up top and he was supported in attack by summer signings Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo playing on the left and right respectively.
Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo have been key signings for United manager Amorim and are set to play in the two No 10 roles in the forthcoming season.
Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, Micah Richards touched on the Fiorentina match and felt there was a lack of “balance” in Amorim’s tactical system for United.
The 37-year-old Sky Sports pundit pointed out that Cunha “works no problem” in Amorim’s tactics, but Mbeumo’s influence might be restricted in the system.
“Mbeumo does loads of his best work out wide, but he’s sort of in a number ten position,” Richards said.
“Cunha works no problem, he can [play] on the left, in the number ten position, but I just think the balance of the team is not right for the players they have.”
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Micah Richards remains unconvinced on Ruben Amorim’s tactical system ahead of Man Utd’s 2025-26 Premier League campaign
United manager Amorim has stuck with his principles and his philosophy since his arrival at Old Trafford from Portuguese side Sporting CP during the 2024-25 season.
The 40-year-old former Sporting CP head coach already warned that United fans should expect short-term pain before long-term rewards are yielded under him.
Amorim’s tactical system was contentious amid United’s poor 2024-25 campaign and Richards is still not convinced by the Red Devils’ approach under his tactical system.
“I think 4-3-3 would suit them so well and I think the first five fixtures [next season] look really hard as well,” Richards continued.
“It’s just whether that negativity creeps in.”
United will begin their new Premier League season on Sunday against rivals Arsenal, with kick-off slated for 4:30pm UK time.