So, Erik ten Hag has packed his bags. Ruud van Nistelrooy has enjoyed an interim stay with no complications. Now, Ruben Amorim is here. Manchester United, for all of the thrills and spills, have something to look forward to again.
The reign of Ten Hag at Old Trafford was about as topsy-turvy as you can get. The Dutchman won two domestic cups but United’s form in the league was torrid.
They currently sit 13th in the Premier League even in spite of Van Nistelrooy’s unbeaten period. He has shown what is possible with good foundations, strong coaching and a positive attitude.
There was no delusion and there certainly won’t be from Amorim, one of the best young minds in the coaching world.
It will take time to fix what’s gone wrong. This won’t be an overnight job. Rome wasn’t built in a day and all that. The biggest question will be, is the Portuguese going to employ his infamous 3-4-3 formation?
His first training session in charge of the group at Carrington on Monday might well have just given us a big clue.
The takeaways from Amorim’s first training session
In clips posted online by the United media team, we have already been given a rare insight into the system and players that may be used.
Of course, the former Sporting boss was missing a number of players through international duty but it was interesting to see what roles certain members of the squad had been selected in.
This isn’t access we usually get. Training footage usually involves a few running drills and nothing tactical but this was different.
So, how did the team’s shape look? Well, he lined up with wing-backs as has been expected.
Antony
Yoro
Evans
Shaw
Malacia
Casemiro
Mainoo
Amad
Mount
Rashford
As we can see from the table above there were some notable surprises, chiefly the inclusion of mega-money signing Antony at right wing-back.
There were also spots for Marcus Rashford as the main centre forward and Mason Mount as the left-sided number 10.
All three of those players struggled under Ten Hag. Antony only scored once last term in the league while Mount barely kicked a ball due to injury.
In a separate clip, we also see Jonny Evans shape up as the most central defender in a three-man back line with Luke Shaw acting as a left-sided centre-back.
That final point was seemingly good news for United’s forgotten man, Tyrell Malacia.
Why Malacia is Amorim’s perfect wing-back at Man Utd
Since signing from Dutch side Feyenoord early on in the Ten Hag reign, Malacia has endured a nightmare stint in Manchester.
The defender did not play a single minute last term due to injury and hasn’t been seen on a first team pitch since the final day of the 2022/23 season when the Red Devils defeated Fulham 2-1.
From that point forth he’s missed a whopping 499 days of action and 70 consecutive matches. The problem? Having torn his meniscus, the £13m signing has gone under the knife twice in a bid to fix the issue. He’s only just returning now and having seen the footage of Amorim’s first training session, he could be vital.
What we could see is that the 25-year-old was playing as the left wing-back. Unless the new boss decides he wants an upgrade in January, the path could become clear for Malacia to nail down a regular starting berth too.
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Neither Diogo Dalot nor Noussair Mazraoui are natural left-sided players and with Shaw playing as a left-sided centre-back in training on Monday, a pathway has opened up.
He could well be the perfect player for Amorim’s system, ranking among the top 8% of positionally similar players in the Eredivisie throughout 2021/22 for progressive passes per 90 (5.94) and the best 10% for progressive carries per 90 (3.53).
A pass is considered progressive if the distance between the starting point and the next touch is at least 10 meters closer to the opponent’s goal or any completed pass into the penalty area.
Those numbers underline his attacking strengths and suitability for the wing-back role that will be required under the new boss. Perhaps there is life in the injured dog yet…
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