Despite Manchester United having spent a substantial amount of money on transfers over the last decade, there is still considerable debate about who is good enough to bring the club back to the top.
Manchester United are back at Old Trafford ahead of the October international break, where they will meet Sunderland for the first time since April 2017.
Rúben Amorim has struggled at the start of the season, with United managing just two wins from six Premier League fixtures and sitting 14th in the table, only one spot above last year’s 15th-place finish.
By contrast, Sunderland have made an excellent return to the Premier League. Régis Le Bris’ team are currently fifth, collecting 11 points from their opening six matches.
A 3-1 defeat at Brentford has only intensified the pressure on Amorim, whose position at United is coming under increasing scrutiny from the fanbase.
United’s starting XI the last time they faced Sunderland
United last faced Sunderland on 9 April 2017, with goals from Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, and substitute Marcus Rashford securing a 3-0 victory at the Stadium of Light. The fixture also saw winger Sebastian Larsson sent off late into the first half.
Managed by Jose Mourinho at the time and in the midst of heading toward the Europa League final, United fielded a team of Sergio Romero in goal, with Luke Shaw, Marcos Rojo, Eric Bailly, and Matteo Darmian across the back four.
A midfield three of Ander Herrera, Marouane Fellaini, and Paul Pogba was deployed, while Mkhiyaryan and Jesse Lingard took up the left and right flanks, respectively.
To round it off, Ibrahimovic was at the tip of the spear, scoring and earning an 8.6 match rating from FotMob during what went on to be a 29-goal campaign for the Swedish football legend.
How many would start in Amorim’s 3-4-2-1
It’s an interesting question. A lot has been made of who suits Amorim’s current system and who does not, with former United centre-back Rio Ferdinand recently claiming that there are only four players in the squad who truly fit the current set of instructions.
As for who could potentially be played by Amorim from that side in 2017, there are certainly a few who have a shout.
Firstly, Romero is considered one of United’s top back-up goalkeepers from the last decade. It’s hard to say whether the former Argentina international is better than new signing Senne Lammens as the latter is yet to make his debut, but there’s little doubt that Romero would usurp Altay Bayındır in goal.
As for the centre-backs, neither Rojo nor Bailly would start ahead of Matthijs de Ligt or Leny Yoro in the middle or right-hand side, but there is an argument ot be said that the latter could play ahead of Shaw on the left of the back three.
If Shaw were to be ousted from the back three, there would also be cause to suggest that he may be able to play over Patrick Chinazaekpere Dorgu.
2017 Shaw is a very different player from the defender we see today and could certainly play as a fantastic left wing-back, with his speed and delivery at the top tier. For right wing-back, Amad would likely play over Matteo Darmian.
Astonishingly, in midfield, Amorim would likely prefer to pair Ander Herrera with Bruno Fernandes over any other options. Although Herrera remains a fan favourite to this day, it says a lot that Amorim’s system and instructions cannot fit such mega talents as Pogba or Mainoo into a team.
Finally, the front three. Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, United’s current top choices for the left and right of attack, are the best options for Amorim compared to the wingers in 2017. However, although Benjamin Šeško recently netted his first goal for the club, 2017 Zlatan Ibrahimovic would no doubt be preferred.
United mixed starting XI vs Sunderland: Romero, Yoro, De Ligt, Bailly, Amad, Herrera, Fernandes, Shaw, Mbeumo, Ibrahmovic, Cunha.
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