Ruben Amorim is coming under fire for his continued reliance on Bruno Fernandes during the Fulham game and ignoring Kobbie Mainoo, but another favourite of his, in brilliant form, is hurting the team even more.
The tremors of the Fulham draw have been consequential for Ruben Amorim, mostly surrounding his handling of Kobbie Mainoo.
Mainoo’s second snub of the season was hard to digest, and Amorim’s reasoning after the game only lent further credence to the idea of Mainoo wanting to leave.
Bruno Fernandes has had to suffer from the byproduct of that criticism for his bad form, but another Amorim favourite in brilliant form is costing the team even more.
Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United consoled by Mason Mount after missing a penalty
Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images
Ruben Amorim playing Mason Mount hurts Man Utd’s balance
It can come off as harsh when a player who has arguably been among United’s top performers in the two league games so far is called a problem.
However, Mason Mount’s case is unique in the sense that he’s playing well, but by playing him, Amorim is intent on fixing what wasn’t broken.
United’s best performance this season so far came against Bournemouth on the US tour, which was, ironically, a game where Mount started.
However, it’s not about Mount starting. It’s about who he’s replacing.
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That day, neither Mbeumo nor Cunha started, so Mount played behind the striker in his natural role, which is where the biggest differentiator lies.
United’s performances started suffering from the Fiorentina game, which was the first time United started without a striker, a trend they have continued since.
With Mbeumo and Cunha starting, Amorim has broken what was working, just because of his desire to include Mount in his starting XI.
Rasmus Hojlund has been discarded, and Benjamin Sesko has been reduced to underwhelming appearances off the bench.
In the absence of a natural striker, just to fit Mount into the XI, Cunha has had to move away from his natural position.
In addition, Fernandes has to be accompanied by a destroyer at all times, cutting Mainoo’s minutes, because United need more protection after playing a diminutive front three.
Even Amad has had to be sacrificed at times due to Mount’s inclusion, as Amorim prefers Diogo Dalot’s defensive-mindedness when there’s no focal point up front to aim for.
Despite Mount playing well, the team balance is better off if he’s not starting. Amorim needs to stop shoehorning him into the starting XI.
Mount has a role at Man Utd, it’s not as a starter
Amorim’s appreciation of Mount is no secret, but when the team balance is sacrificed to accommodate him into the starting XI, it equates to a blind spot.
That is what cost Erik ten Hag his job, where Antony was given chance after chance while Amad warmed the bench.
To his credit, Mount has been far better than Antony was at the time, but United need to make it clear to him that in a full-strength XI, his role is as an energiser off the bench.
Mount needs to be a rotational player so that Sesko can start with Mbeumo and Cunha behind him.
It will also allow Amorim to theoretically play Fernandes and Mainoo together, because they will have a focal point up front to link up with.
Mount’s energy off the bench, or a start in the games when Mbeumo or Cunha need to be rested, is the sort of role champion teams are built on.
They are not built on favouritism, where a certain player is fixed in the XI, and the rest of the team is shifted around to make space for him.