Rúben Amorim may be about to make a much-needed starting XI change as Manchester United prepare to face Chelsea in the Premier League this weekend.
Manchester United are returning to Old Trafford as they welcome Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea in a Premier League tie on Saturday afternoon.
So far this season, United have started poorly. Despite a last-minute win against Burnley at Old Trafford, United sit 14th in the Premier League table with four points after four games – the club’s worst start to a season since the 1992/93 season.
Rúben Amorim’s last result was a devastating 3-0 loss against Manchester City. Despite starting the first and second half well, United failed to deliver any significant chances to the front line, in particular to Benjamin Šeško, and this must change as pressure grows on United’s head coach.
The Chelsea fixture also represents a return to Old Trafford for Alejandro Garnacho, who left United for a £40 million fee to join Maresca last month after being exiled from the squad by Amorim.
United may not see any returns vs Chelsea
United have a few injuries they are dealing with. Mason Mount, Matheus Cunha, and Diogo Dalot were all ruled out of the City tie despite playing in the club’s last game against Burnley, two weeks earlier.
Cunha suffered a hamstring injury 30 minutes into the fixture, while Mount came off at half-time. Both players are expected to remain away from action for a bit longer and are expected to miss the Chelsea fixture, but could return before the end of the month.
Dalot’s injury status is less clear. The right-back had to leave the Portugal training camp last week due to muscle discomfort, and barring being unavailable against City, there has been no further clarification or update.
Meanwhile, a new timeline has been explained for the return of Lisandro Martínez. After the centre-back suffered an ACL injury in February and has since undergone rehabilitation, it’s expected he will return to action in late October.
Amorim must make changes vs Chelsea
United’s set-up against City was pretty much destined to be run through, with too many gaps allowing City’s players to float between United’s lines and devastate Amorim’s back line.
Against Chelsea, several changes must be made. One must be that Kobbie Mainoo has to start in the middle of the park. The midfielder’s on-the-ball abilities would greatly benefit United in progressing the ball forward, and it would also allow Bruno Fernandes to create chances from closer to the goal.
Meanwhile, there is an argument to be had that Senne Lammens should be handed his debut in goal. Altay Bayındır does not fill United’s back line with foncience, and with André Onana out on loan, Lammens is the natural replacement.
Finally, the players must look to feed Šeško. United created nine chances against City, but none of them fell Šeško’s way, with many of the players failing to deliver pinpoint crosses to the 6’5″ striker.
United legend Rio Ferdinand has already highlighted the lack of chances created for Šeško as a key problem area that must be fixed, and a home tie against Chelsea is the perfect chance for the Reds to do just that.
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