Manchester United have hinted that Ruben Amorim could unleash a “fascinating” tactical change against West Ham this weekend and it could unlock several players.
Manchester United have touched down in the United States for the next phase of their pre-season tour, with Rúben Amorim continuing to mould his squad ahead of his first full campaign at the helm.
Their opening friendly ended in a goalless draw against Leeds in Stockholm, though encouraging performances from Leny Yoro, Kobbie Mainoo, and new arrival Matheus Cunha offered promising signs.
Next up is a clash with Graham Potter’s West Ham in New Jersey, part of the Premier League Summer Series, which also includes fixtures against Everton and Bournemouth.
The Reds will be based in Chicago throughout their 10-day U.S. stay, taking on the other participating clubs before returning to Manchester to welcome David de Gea’s Fiorentina to Old Trafford for their final pre-season fixture.
United hint that Amorim will unleash tactical change vs West Ham
Ahead of the clash with the Hammers, United’s media team have hinted that Amorim is preparing to make a ‘fascinating’ tactical change for the game which fans have not seen before.
“We saw that tactical session in training yesterday which was fascinating,” MUTV pundit Liam Bradford revealed during the open training session on Friday.
“I won’t give anything away because that would be wrong of me but I think we saw maybe some things that we haven’t seen previously and some things that the pair of us are quite excited to see deployed in game.
Ben Thornley added: “Yeah and when you don’t get the opportunity to be able to see that very often then it is [exciting], and you stand there and your focused on what kind of session the manager is trying to put on and what he’s trying to achieve from his players.
“And that’s not just for the game tomorrow or the game next Wednesday, this is going forward into the new season.”
Tactical change could unlock United trio
This tactical change could very well be an adaption to Amorim’s formation, with the Reds lining up in a 3-4-1-2 rather than the existing 3-4-2-1 the United boss already uses.
Many supporters believe that this could have a positive impact on three players in particular, with Bruno Fernandes, Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo as the frontline. The trio cost United £174 million but as the Portuguese captain has shown, price tags don’t matter when you actually perform.
Fernandes would be able to be reinstated to his strongest position as the sole no.10 while the two new signings can provide the firepower ahead of him.
Mbeumo is already used to playing in a strike partnership while Cunha also has experience in a similar role. If this is trialled and successful, it could help solve United’s striker issues.
Considering the MUTV pundits hinted that the change is something we have not seen before, it seems like this adjustment to the shape and formation could be what Amorim tests against West Ham.
Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is streamed live every Thursday at 12:30 pm (BST) on the United View YouTube channel.