Five things noticed as Manchester United fell to a 1-0 defeat against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Old Trafford in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.
Rúben Amorim chose to hand centre-back Tyler Fredricson his debut for Manchester United as the Reds lined up to face Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.
The tie started with Wolves looking to impose themselves at Old Trafford, but the opening 25 minutes were a pretty drab affair, with neither side offering a shot on target.
Although the tie started to spice up a bit as United grew into the fixture, neither side could break the deadlock as the half-time whistle blew, not long after a speculative shot from Kobbie Mainoo flew just wide.
The first big chance in the second half fell to Rasmus Højlund after the Dane broke through on goal, but he was indecisive on the ball in the final moments, and his effort was well blocked. The visitors finally found the breakthrough with 15 minutes to play as Pablo Sarabia scored a fantastic free-kick past André Onana.
Although United looked to launch a late onslaught on Wolves’ goal, they were not able to break the barrier as Amorim’s men fell to yet another league defeat at Old Trafford.
#1 – Mainoo’s first start back was positive
The tie against Wolves represented Mainoo’s first start for the club in over two months following his return from injury, and Amorim chose to start him further forward after his goal against Lyon in midweek.
The first half did not offer too much for Mainoo to get involved in the side, although his close-quarter touches and decision-making showed a player who is starting to return to full sharpness.
During the second 45 minutes, Mainoo should have been fed through for the opening goal when Højlund scuffed an early chance, but it was not to be.
He was taken off shortly before the hour mark, with Amorim keen to manage his minutes, but his good moments on the ball were a big positive for a player still looking to get back to full fitness.
#2 – Fredricson was stunning on his debut
Fredricson’s debut was nothing short of stunning. The player wasted no time getting himself stuck into action, dealing with Wolves striker Strand well in the opening minutes.
His first standout moment in the 26th minute, where he stepped out of the defensive line to win a challenge with Matheus Cunha that sent unied on the attack, which led to Amass putting in a good cross and winning a corner.
He continued to play well both in and out of possession, and despite playing against some very powerful and quick forwards, looked like a player more than comfortable within Amorim’s back three.
#3 – Amorim’s use of Dorgu was very interesting
It was very interesting to see Patrick Dorgu deployed as a right wing-back on Sunday afternoon, and the Danish international offered a unique profile on the right-hand side that will please Amorim.
At Sporting, the head coach was known to use a left-footed wing-back on the left on occasion, with Dorgu providing this outlet.
After criticisms of his performances on the left of late concerning his lack of crosses, the 20-year-old produced a polar-opposite performance against Wolves, putting in multiple dangerous crosses by cutting in from the right to whip the ball in with his left. However, a lack of positive movement from United’s forwards meant his efforts were not capitalised upon.
#4 – Amass was United’s best player vs Wolves
Harry Amass was starting his second-ever fixture for United’s senior team, and his first at Old Trafford, and he was by far and away Amorim’s best player on Sunday afternoon.
Read More: Player Ratings – Manchester United vs Wolves (Premier League)
The most telling moment of the tie for Amass was shortly after Wolves’ goal. The 18-year-old was meant to be substituted off just before Sarabia opened the scoring, but with United then searching for a goal, Amorim changed his mind and kept Amass on the field.
This shows a clear trust in Amass’ abilities both as a defender and in the attacking phases, and the England U19s full-back should be proud of the display he put on at Old Trafford, despite the loss.
#5 – Garnacho needs to add end product to his tenacity
Although United once again failed to score at Old Trafford, Alejandro Garnacho put on a pretty admirable performance.
The winger was tenacious, direct, and a willing runner, and was no doubt Amorim’s most consistent threat throughout the 90 minutes.
However, as has been well-documented, the player must start producing a better end product in his performances. Against Lyon, he missed a brilliant chance that was highlighted profusely on social media, and it felt, once again, that on one too many occasions, the winger was not quite quick enough with his end product decisions.
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.