Ruben Amorim could end up promoting an exciting and ‘intelligent’ star from the Manchester United academy for the upcoming game against Manchester City.
Manchester United resume Premier League duty this weekend as Ruben Amorim leads his side across town for a derby showdown with Manchester City.
Both clubs have stumbled out of the blocks. United have collected a win, a draw, and a defeat so far, while City have also managed just three points from their opening three games, leaving them sitting 13th in the table.
The derby presents a crucial opportunity for either team to ignite their season and strike an early psychological blow against their rivals in what has already proven to be a chaotic campaign.
The last meeting at the Etihad produced a dramatic twist, as late strikes from Bruno Fernandes and Amad inspired United to a stunning 2-1 comeback victory just before the turn of the year.
Amorim could promote “intelligent” United starlet for City clash
Amorim has confirmed that Matheus Cunha, Mason Mount and Diogo Dalot will all be unavailable for the upcoming clash with City.
Cunha and Mount are the two main options as the left-sided no.10 in Amorim’s system. It seems likely that Fernandes moves further forward and Kobbie Mainoo comes into the team.
But there will be space in the squad and United need options off the bench. Amorim could be looking at Under-18s captain Amir Ibragimov as someone to bring into the fold.
Ibragimov had started every Under-18s game this season as a deeper midfielder but has naturally played further forward. But he was not involved in their xxx against Burnley’s youth side on Saturday morning.
With the Under-21s side not in action this weekend, Ibragimov’s absence may hint towards his potential involvement with the first-team.
The 17-year-old has spent time with the first-team in training over the last few years but has not appeared in a matchday squad before.
Binnion says Ibragimov is a warrior
Ibragimov is beginning to take charge in youth matches and it was no surprise to see him given the armband in Darren Fletcher’s team.
He has also impressed at Under-21s level and earned praise from Travis Binnion after he scored a late winner against Manchester City a couple of weeks ago.
“He’s had a slight positional change, but he’s got all the tools to do it really well. Amir is still an attacking player, he’s learning the deeper role,” Binnion told the Manchester Evening News.
“He’s intelligent. He’s got stuff to tidy up, but he’s a warrior. If you’re intelligent and a warrior and want to do everything right with and without the ball, then you’re going to cause people problems.”
While he would be unlikely to feature in the game, it would be great experience for Ibragimov to experience what it is like to be in the first-team squad for a Manchester derby.
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