Mainoo, Collyer, Yoro – What will Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United side look like?

With Rúben Amorim set to replace Erik ten Hag at Manchester United, the concept line-ups are already making the rounds on social media.

Fans all over the globe are currently locked in a debate on which of Manchester United‘s players the Portuguese coach – considered the country’s best since José Mourinho – will make fixtures of the dynasty he will be aiming to build at Old Trafford, and which ones might have heads on the chopping board.

The reality is that until he arrives, assuming nothing falls through, fans will not know for sure. But educated guesses can be made. There has been a debate on whether he will implement his preferred back three at Old Trafford or adapt to what he has and go with a four – arguably more suitable.

Read More: What Ruben Amorim’s first Manchester United line-up could look like vs Chelsea

UtdDistrict, being the wonderful people we are, has thus offered two concept teams for fans: one in Amorim’s preferred 3-4-3 and one with a more familiar back four. Let’s dive in.

The 3-4-3 formation

Before discussing team selections, it must be said that despite the stigma attached to it, a back three is not necessarily a ‘defensive’ or ‘negative’ setup. Depending on how it is used, it can be extremely offensive and highly effective.

We can safely assume the goalkeeper will remain André Onana, who has been one of United’s better players this season.

The back three is where it gets interesting. Currently, United’s only fit centre-backs are Matthijs de Ligt, Jonny Evans, and Lisandro Martínez, with Leny Yoro and Harry Maguire due to return.

With all fit, you could safely assume that Yoro would line up on the right of the three, De Ligt would play in the middle, and Martínez on the left. Maguire has shown his quality in a back three before and could get a fair amount of minutes.

When he is back, Luke Shaw is a possible outside option to start on the left of the three, a more physically powerful player than Martínez.

Once again, the midfield is intriguing. Amorim’s Sporting have typically not built possession through the midfield much, preferring to go around the sides or over the top. Manuel Ugarte was a key player for him at Sporting and could well be at United, too.

With Kobbie Mainoo injured, Casemiro is probably a better fit for Amorim’s style than Eriksen due to his superior duelling and ground coverage skills.

With Mainoo returning, it would be hard not to include him, and Bruno Fernandes could also play deeper. Amorim will also appreciate Toby Collyer’s qualities, and he could see some minutes, as could Dan Gore, although those two are not as likely to start most games.

With a fit squad, one of Casemiro or Ugarte partnering with Mainoo is most likely, with Fernandes maybe dropping deeper in games where United are expected to dominate more.

One of Diogo Dalot or Noussair Mazraoui will be the wing back on the right, on the left with injury issues it is again more interesting. We could see one of the two right-sided full-backs play there as they have done in a four, or we could see something completely different – such as Alejandro Garnacho operating on the touchline.

It sounds strange, but his relentless nature and drive to go up and down the flank, combined with Amorim’s offensive mindset from his wing-backs, could well see the youngster trialled out there in case no left-backs are available. Harry Amass is probably not quite ready yet. Luke Shaw, when fit, will most likely start there.

In attack, Rasmus Højlund and Marcus Rashford are very direct runners who will feed off Amorim’s tendency to play over and find channel runners. For this reason, Joshua Zirkzee may struggle more as the number nine, and his best use case could be as one of the inside attackers.

Captain Bruno Fernandes, whom Amorim has shown his respect for in the past, will most likely start as one of the inside attackers if not moved deeper.

This leaves just one spot for Rashford, Amad, Zirkzee, and Mason Mount to fight for – and arguably Christian Eriksen, too. Mount played in the ‘2’ in Thomas Tuchel’s 3-4-2-1 at Chelsea and was excellent here, although he is not likely to start regularly given his fitness troubles.

Eriksen played on the right for Pochettino’s Tottenham years ago and is comfortable in the half-spaces. He has also shown his attacking prowess for United this season with a few goal contributions, and he doesn’t quite suit Amorim in deep midfield. However, he will probably be less likely to start now.

This team could work, although the lack of real width from forwards could be an issue—especially given United’s heritage of wing play. Amorim will look to hit channel runners and play fast, exciting football, but I’m not so certain whether the 3-4-3 is best suited for that with this team.

The 4-2-3-1/4-3-3 formation

I think this formation is a bit more suited to the personnel at Manchester United’s disposal.

Again,, Onana lines up in goal, and the back four remains similar to what United’s current first-choice back four looks like. Shaw will come in at left back once he returns from injury—which is due soon. Leny Yoro could line up alongside Matthijs de Ligt in some games; more on this later.

In midfield, the Casemiro-Ugarte pivot remains, with Mainoo coming in for one of them when he is back. When Mason Mount is back, he could well operate deeper, too, in this formation rather than more advanced. Ground coverage is particularly important for Amorim’s midfielders.

With Mainoo on the team, Amorim could use a single pivot, allowing him to push on more due to his qualities.

In the No.10 position, Bruno Fernandes will again, of course, keep his spot, and Joshua Zirkzee could well be his backup here, along with Christian Eriksen. Marcus Rashford and Amad will likely start on the wings, with Rasmus Højlund lining up as the centre forward.

If Amorim plays a back four, it will be interesting to see how attacks look in possession. I could very much see a situational back three being formed with one of the full-backs tucking in.

The other pushed on high and wide to allow the winger on their side to move into the half-space – the number 10 would occupy the other half-space here. Kobbie Mainoo, Mason Mount, or even Casemiro is playing alongside Ugarte, and they could also push on to try and overload the last line.

This situational back three is where we could see Yoro and De Ligt together in a back four. If Luke Shaw tucks inside in possession, it could form a very strong base for United. Three physically dominant players who are all at least comfortable with the ball.

Whilst not as comfortable physically, though, Martínez’s qualities with the ball could prove crucial to Amorim, who at Sporting has consistently given the most progression responsibilities to his wider centre-backs. With different personnel at United, this could be adapted, but Martínez’s qualities with the ball will be appreciated, and with Yoro still so young, he will likely start most games.

However Amorim lines up, he will have a clear plan for what he wants to do, and United fans must get behind him and trust him to take this team to the next level.

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