Bruno Fernandes’ Manchester derby masterclass has fans wondering what on earth Ruben Amorim was doing with him, but his treatment of Leny Yoro was worse.
Michael Carrick deserves a lot of credit for simply creating a gameplan that put most of the players in the Man Utd squad in their best positions.
Nowhere was this positive change more evident than in his usage of Bruno Fernandes, who was restored to the No. 10 spot from where he wreaked havoc.
Should Kobbie Mainoo be an automatic starter under Michael Carrick now?
Kobbie Mainoo only needed 90 minutes to prove Ruben Amorim wrong!
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It was an example of a manager simply profiling his player correctly, and that should continue with Leny Yoro, who was another victim of misprofiling.
Bruno Fernandes talks with Kobbie Mainoo during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Bournemouth at Old Trafford in Manchester, England, in 2025.
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Ruben Amorim exposed Leny Yoro
As wrong as the decision to move Fernandes away from the opposition goal was, at least the captain’s sheer ability didn’t let his output shirk.
He became a deep-lying playmaker instead, and his defensive game became better as a result.
The same can’t be said for Leny Yoro, who had just one glaring weakness in his game, and instead of working around it, Amorim exposed it.
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Yoro is good on the ball, can switch play, contest aerial balls, is good on the ground for interceptions and tackles, but he struggles at one thing.
That is his ability to get off the mark quickly, because he lacks the explosive acceleration and sheer top pace to contest against attackers who rely on pure pace.
In Amorim’s setup, Yoro often started as the wide centre-back, which inevitably meant he was dragged out wide to full-back positions.
It led to him being up against electric wingers who often just beat him for pace and left him looking a worse defender than he actually is.
He is extremely talented and did as well as he could despite being put in a position to fail, but it’s clear that his ceiling is much higher playing in a back four instead of as a quasi-full-back in a back-three.
Michael Carrick can unleash Yoro
Carrick came in and immediately installed a traditional back-four setup, continuing Darren Fletcher’s work of two games.
With Ruben Amorim SACKED, where will Manchester United finish in 2025/26?
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That solves many Amorim errors, like putting Kobbie Mainoo in the team, Fernandes further forward, Luke Shaw at left-back, but Yoro will relish it the most.
In terms of pure potential, he’s United’s best centre-back, so what Amorim was making him do in full-back positions was unforgivable.
Now that he’s back in a back-four setup, expect him to showcase what he’s best at, while minimising the damage done from what his weakness is.
The full-backs will handle the wingers, and the forwards will track back to help them. Yoro, meanwhile, can focus on using his physicality and ball-playing skills to effectively become a more athletic version of Harry Maguire.
Considering how good Maguire looked in a back-four setup, that’s an enticing thought for Man Utd fans.
Amorim’s usage of Yoro didn’t make as much noise as Mainoo’s situation or Fernandes’ role, but that’s because he made the best of it without causing a fuss.
He can now be truly unleashed by Carrick.
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