Manchester United’s loss vs Tottenham proved Rúben Amorim has seven undroppable stars

While Rúben Amorim’s side were knocked out of the Carabao Cup, Manchester United’s loss against Tottenham Hotspur has given the head coach a lot to think about.

Manchester United have bowed out of the Carabao Cup in a thrilling but gut-wrenching 4-3 loss to Tottenham Hotspur, with Rúben Amorim’s side falling just short of a remarkable comeback in the quarter-finals.

The match got off to a challenging start for United, who initially struggled against Spurs’ relentless tempo. A mistake from Altay Bayındır, spilling a routine save, allowed Dominic Solanke to fire the hosts into the lead.

The second half began disastrously as Dejan Kulusevski doubled Tottenham’s advantage with a clinical strike, and Solanke added his second soon after to put Spurs firmly in control at 3-0.

United refused to go down quietly, though. Bruno Fernandes’ creativity sparked a response, as he teed up Joshua Zirkzee to pull one back. Amad Diallo then slotted home a second with 20 minutes remaining, igniting hope for the visitors.

However, a controversial moment saw Son Heung-min score directly from a corner, with Bayındır vehemently claiming he was fouled, but the goal stood.

Jonny Evans headed home a late goal in injury time to bring United within one, but Spurs managed to hold on, leaving Amorim and his team to reflect on what could have been in an electrifying contest.

Amorim has seven undroppable players at United

United’s four goals conceded came down to individual errors, and their three goals were all scored once Amorim chose to make a whole host of changes in midfield and attack.

The difference between those with and those without qualities to fit within Amorim’s system is becoming more evident. The tie against Spurs has shown that the 39-year-old that there are seven players in his current squad that are simply undroppable.

Firstly, let’s talk about those who came on and changed the game. Alongsdie Zirkzee, Amad and Kobbie Mainoo joined the fray as Antony, Rasmus Højlund, and Christian Eriksen exited, and United’s game immediately kicked up a gear.

It’s hard to overstate just how important Amad has become in Amorim’s system, while Mainoo’s introduction alongside Manuel Ugarte, who was superb in North London, brought calmness and balance into the squad. This trio are no doubt in Amorim’s best XI.

Alongside these three, there were a further two who started the game and have continually proved themselves as essentials. On Thursday evening, Bruno Fernandes and Noussair Mazraoui were of the highest quality and will continue to be ever-presents under Amorim.

Finally, the two other players who are becoming an integral part of Amorim’s future vision at the club are two who did not feature. Bayındır’s blunders only further highlighted the importance of Onana in the field, while United’s instability in defence helped solidify Matthijs de Ligt’s case at centre-back.

De Ligt missed the Spurs tie due to illness, while Onana was rested with Amorim keen to see how Bayındır faired in a real-world fixture rather than in training. The answer? Not well.

Major positions are still up for grabs

Amorim now has Mainoo, Amad, Fernandes, Onana, De Ligt, Mazraoui, and Ugarte as seven of his most important players at the club, with a few major positions still up for grabs in the coming months.

Striker is an interesting one, with Joshua Zirkzee starting to find a level of form at the same time as Rasmus Højlund failed to impress against Spurs or Manchester City. The two centre-back positions on either side of De Ligt are wide open, with Leny Yoro impressing in midweek and Harry Maguire doing the same against City.

Lisandro Martínez, who was previously seen as a nailed-down starter in the left centre-back role, has started to stutter with some of his performances, and will need to get back up to speed to keep his place.

The final interesting position is at left-back. Diogo Dalot and Tyrell Malacia have been given chances there, but neither player seems like the long-term option, while Luke Shaw’s consistent injuries leave him unable to be trusted.

This position may be filled by a new signing in the winter or summer transfer window, with United wanting a new left-back in 2025.

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