Rúben Amorim has confirmed that a surprise star may be starting as Manchester United’s striker when he squad lines up to face Arsenal next month.
Manchester United are gearing up for their first Premier League fixture of the summer, hosting Arsenal at Old Trafford on 17 August, by playing five pre-season fixtures.
Having already drawn 0-0 with Leeds in Stockholm, Sweden, Rúben Amorim’s side are set to face West Ham United in New Jersey as part of the Premier League summer series.
United will spend 10 days based in Chicago, also taking on Everton and Bournemouth before heading back to Manchester.
One week before the crunch Arsenal clash, they will face David de Gea’s Fiorentina at Old Trafford in their final friendly before the new campaign begins.
Amorim could face Arsenal without a new striker
Earlier this week, it was widely reported that United’s hierarchy have reluctantly accepted that the head coach may head to the opening game of the new season without a new striker in the squad, which is a significant U-turn considering the position was a high priority.
Having signed Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha, the club have significantly improved their goal-scoring options, also a centre-forward would be the icing on the scale of Amorim’s new front three.
According to ESPN, although Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Højlund may still both be with the club during the opening weeks of the campaign, there is a distinct possibility that Amorim may choose to start Bryan Mbeumo in the position.
Mbeumo has 65 appearances as either a centre-forward or second striker across his career so far, and is a genuine option to play as a centre-forward during his official debut at Old Trafford.
Amorim confirms Mbeumo is a striker option
When asked during his pre-match press conference if he still wanted to sign a new striker, or if Mbeumo or fellow new signing Cunha could fill the role if said striker is not signed, Amorim confirmed that it is an option.
However, he also stressed that Zirkzee and Højlund remain options in the position, and the race to become the club’s starting striker against Arsenal and beyond is still open.
“They can play as a striker,” Amorim explained. “[But] we have Josh, we have Rasmus, so our focus is to improve the connection between them. I don’t know if the positions are there for them.
“They have to work, they have other players that are fighting for that position. But again, I’m really pleased because they proved that the qualities that they have, they are really humble, that is really important.”
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