Manchester United travel to Crystal Palace looking to bounce back on Sunday and one star should be given the opportunity to impress
Kobbie Mainoo (centre) pictured warming up with his Manchester United teammates before the draw at home to Nottingham Forest
Kobbie Mainoo (centre) pictured warming up with his Manchester United teammates before the draw at home to Nottingham Forest
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Heading into Friday's press conference there was hope among Manchester United fans of Matheus Cunha being available for the trip to Crystal Palace. The Brazilian may have only scored once for the Reds so far this season, but he offers a focal point at the top of the attack when playing a strikerless system.
He was missing against Everton, as was Benjamin Sesko, so Ruben Amorim decided to take a chance on Joshua Zirkzee. Sesko has been the first choice for United this season if he wanted a recognised striker up top. If not, Cunha was pushed up and Zirkzee was seen as an afterthought.
That is why his inclusion raised eyebrows and the chance was there for the Dutchman to prove Amorim was right to back him. Instead, we saw why the United boss has been picking Sesko ahead of him all season. It has been said plenty of times before but it is worth repeating - Zirkzee is not a No.9.
His effort for the team cannot be questioned and he did test Jordan Pickford on a couple of occasions with headers. But for the most part, Zirkzee did not offer an outlet for United as James Tarkowski and Michael Keane dealt with him easily.
Amorim could decide to repeat his tactic from Monday night but having seen it not work, the United boss could opt to give another overlooked player in Kobbie Mainoo a chance instead. Mainoo has yet to start a Premier League match for United this season given Amorim's desire to play Bruno Fernandes deeper. What could work to satisfy both midfielders is to play Mainoo alongside Casemiro and allow Fernandes to push up into a No.10 role.
It has been a while since United's captain has played as an attacking midfielder but this is clearly the position where you can get the best out of him. When watching Fernandes, you can see he excels when building attacks and he will receive more opportunities doing that further forward.
You could even play the captain as the false nine but the strongest formation in Amorim's set-up would be to play him as a No.10 and allow Bryan Mbeumo to lead the line. The Cameroonian has done it for Brentford previously so it shouldn't be too big a change for the club's top goalscorer.
With Cunha expected to be fit to play in midweek when West Ham travel to Old Trafford, the opportunity for Mainoo to gain more minutes will slip away until next month when the AFCON players leave.