Ruben Amorim has been lauded by his new defensive prodigy, Ayden Heaven, in a recent interview following the clash with Newcastle. The teenager offered insight into all the ways his boss has helped him during his time at Manchester United.
It was a very successful Boxing Day for Manchester United, defeating Newcastle 1-0 despite being majorly hindered by injuries, including an injury to Mason Mount, who was unable to play the second half of the game.
Man United managed to keep a clean sheet for only the second time this season. Following a 2-1 loss to Aston Villa and a 4-4 draw against Bournemouth, the defence and the boss will be delighted to avoid conceding for a change.
The stars of the show were, without question, Ayden Heaven and Patrick Dorgu, with Heaven taking home the man of the match trophy, and Dorgu scoring his first goal for United.
Both were tasked with playing multiple positions in the game. Dorgu had a complete change-up, going from left back to right wing, whilst Heaven patrolled a back three, back four, and even a back six during the closing stages of the game.
A solid performance from the players, and a job well done by Ruben Amorim, making do with the severe lack of players at his disposal.
Heaven’s assessment of Amorim
In the midst of all the limelight, Heaven made sure to share some of the plaudits with his boss, discussing the many ways in which he has allowed him to shine.
“He’s [Amorim] a super manager. He always reassures me and helps me improve. He’s also a fantastic person off the pitch, and I’m going to love continuing to work with him. It helps a lot to know that the manager cares about you and takes the time to come talk to you. It’s a good thing.”
Ayden Heaven has been a hot topic as of late, after being entrusted by Amorim with the role of filling in for Matthijs de Ligt, who was on fire before his injury at the beginning of December.
So far, the youngster has passed the test with flying colours, excelling on the left, the middle and the right of a back three.
His best performance came on Boxing Day against Newcastle, where he proved to be a stalwart at the back, playing in both a back three and a back four. His stellar performance also earned him the man of the match award.
Ruben Amorim’s big change
Since the beginning of his time at Manchester United, Ruben Amorim has been questioned and criticised about almost everything, with the most popular topic being his 3-4-3 formation.
Due to how little the formation has been used in the Premier League, pundits are convinced it can’t work, begging him to revert to a back four. And for the first time in his United career, for the first half against Newcastle, we saw his side line up in a 4-2-3-1.
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It was a huge success as they dominated the first half, having more than double the visitors’ shots and a much higher xG; however, an injury to Mount forced Amorim to re-jig his side once again. This does beg the question: where does everybody fit in this new formation?
Matheus Cunha would be forced out on the left with Benjamin Sesko upfront, the right side would look a lot different, as United would lose their threat of having both Amad and Bryan Mbeumo on the same side, meaning Amad would probably have to fall to the bench.
However, this does give promise to Kobbie Mainoo, with an extra spot in the midfield; it is almost a guarantee that he will find his way back into the starting XI, with Bruno Fernandes going back to his number 10 role from prior seasons.
Nothing is for certain, but the success of the new formation has created a wide array of possibilities for Amorim’s team, and many more opportunities for players to shine.
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