Ruben Amorim will be looking to shake things up at Manchester United when he arrives to replace Erik ten Hag. The current Sporting boss is in advanced talks to manage the Red Devils and could even be in charge against Chelsea on the weekend.
Sporting confirmed on Tuesday that United had agreed to pay the £8.3million release clause in Amorim’s contract. Discussions between the relevant parties are still ongoing but it seems a deal is likely to be completed within the next few days.
Amorim’s immediate priority will be to get the Red Devils back to winning ways after a disastrous start to the Premier League season. To do that, he might need to reshuffle their starting line-up and disappoint a few players by making some big calls.
Express Sport takes a look at how United could line up with Amorim as their new head coach…
Goalkeeper – Onana
Andre Onana was heavily criticised at times last season but has fared better this time around despite letting in 14 goals. He remains the undisputed first-choice stopper at Old Trafford and that is unlikely to change with Amorim in the dugout.
Onana will need to keep demonstrating the ball-playing ability which made him United’s top target to replace David de Gea last year.
Defence – Yoro, De Ligt, Martinez
Amorim is widely expected to bring over the 3-4-3 formation he uses at Sporting, which will mean a change of shape for United. Leny Yoro is still injured but his athleticism would make him the ideal choice to feature on the right side of a back three.
Lisandro Martinez’s impressive range of passing could see him deployed on the left with Matthijs de Ligt in the middle.
Midfield – Dalot, Mainoo, Fernandes, Mazraoui
Casemiro and Christian Eriksen might be forced to settle for the bench under Amorim, who is likely to play with two central midfielders instead of three. Manuel Ugarte, who joined United over the summer in a £50million deal, could also be a casualty.
If he is, Kobbie Mainoo will remain an automatic starter while Bruno Fernandes will keep his place as the creative lynchpin.
Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui are the strongest options in the wing-back roles but the likes of Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia will be hoping to compete for regular minutes when fit.
Attack – Garnacho, Rashford, Hojlund
United’s best front three under Amorim could be identical to the one picked by Ten Hag for his final game in charge. Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford are likely to occupy the wide positions with Rasmus Hojlund remaining the first-choice striker.
Amad Diallo, meanwhile, will be hoping for more game time under United’s new manager after being largely overlooked by Ten Hag.
