Five Manchester United players proved they can be a huge success under Ruben Amorim - two didn't
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Ruben Amorim might not publicly admit to watching Manchester United’s win over Leicester City last night, but he is certain to have held some interest in how the team he will soon coach was getting on.
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Hide AdWhether he watched the full match, the highlights, or even just glanced at the score line, he will have been alerted to a team with untapped attacking potential, but who are far too open at the back.
A truer test will come when United host Chelsea in the Premier League this weekend, with home matches against PAOK and Leicester next week viewed as further opportunities for them to achieve morale-boosting wins.
Amorim will insist his full focus is on leading Sporting for his final three matches in charge, but it would surely be impossible for him not to already be thinking about ways in which he can improve this United side when he takes charge during the November international break. United players have three more matches to make a strong case for their immediate involvement under Amorim, against Leicester, five players did just that, while two stood out for all the wrong reasons.
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Hide AdWith a change to a 3-4-3 formation potentially on the cards under their new head coach, it was United's midfielders who stole the show in their 5-2 victory on Wednesday night. Casemiro was the star of the show, and his performance displayed both his attacking and defensive capabilities. Manuel Ugarte worked tirelessly ahead of the arrival of his former Sporting coach.
Ugarte has already proven he can excel under Amorim. There is a renewed belief Casemiro might be able to as well, with the potential formation change offering him more protection in midfield and an extra defender behind him to clean up any mess. Bruno Fernandes was also back to his creative best and proved why he is likely to retain the captain's armband under the new appointment, with his creativity crucial if they are to make the formation work.
With wing-backs preferred to wingers in the potential new tactical approach, it was also refreshing to see what Alejandro Garnacho and Amad Diallo each had to offer. The Argentine scored a well-taken goal against Leicester, while the Ivorian made an immediate impact from the bench as he sent an acrobatic overhead effort just wide of the far post. The attacking duo might need to refine their roles to become more of a menace in central areas but supported by overlapping wing-backs, they could each enjoy the freedom of cutting inside onto their dominant foot to make things happen.
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Hide AdIt wasn't all good news though. Even on a night when United played with attacking freedom, Joshua Zirkzee yet again struggled to have a positive impact on the match, failing to win any of his six duels contested while he also lost possession 13 times. It is still hard to see exactly where he fits into this United side, though Amorim's proposed formation change could bring the best out of him as one of the two advanced midfielders.
There is no such benefit to a formation change for Altay Bayindir in goal. In only his third start as a United player, he made a costly error for the first Leicester goal, and was only partially redeemed by the saves he made later in the match. He might continue to get opportunities from the bench in lesser matches, but as the season speeds up following the international break, those chances could be few and far between.
United players have three more matches to make an early impression.
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