Rúben Amorim has answered questions on his starting XI as Manchester United line up to face Bournemouth at Old Trafford on Monday evening.
Manchester United will be hoping to build more consistency when they welcome Bournemouth to Old Trafford on Monday evening.
Rúben Amorim oversaw one of the most impressive results of his time in charge last time out, with Bruno Fernandes scoring twice alongside goals from Bryan Mbeumo and Mason Mount in a 4-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers. Another match without a clean sheet, however, took some of the gloss off the victory.
United have been beaten just once in their last nine league games, but only two wins in their past six have continued to fuel debate around the quality of their recent form.
Bournemouth, meanwhile, arrive on the back of a tough run that has seen them lose four and draw two of their last six Premier League matches. Even so, the Cherries have enjoyed notable success at Old Trafford in recent seasons, recording consecutive 3-0 wins there.
Amorim confirms XI decisions vs Bournemouth
Ahead of the game, rumours broke that Amorim had been setting his side up during the week in a 4-3-3 formation rather than his famed 3-4-2-1, which would represent a stunning change from his staunch ways.
As for who has been selected, Bryan Mbeumo and Amad start despite worries that they would have to depart to AFCON, while Benjamin Šeško returns to the bench.
Amid the reports of a change in formation, Amorim was asked by Sky Sports if he could confirm whether he was moving away from a back-three set-up. “It’s always the same thing, the formation is not the most important thing, it’s the way you set up the team and try to take some advantage from the opponents,” he replied.
“Of course we need to think about the future, and the future we need to have more variability in our game. We are going to lose two wingers, so we need to adapt to the players that we have. And we need to learn from some mistakes that we did in the past, so we will try just to improve the team.
When pressed on if the tie against Bournemouth will be a back three, he said: “You can find out when the game starts, and you can see that the lineup is the same, so then you tell me at the end of the game.”
Amorim selecting Malacia over Lacey
In the last few games, Amorim has selected Shea Lacey in the squad, with many hoping to see his debut, but it never came.
Read More: Manchester United could take step closer to giving Premier League star “dream” £40m move
However, with Šeško back in the squad, reports say he has been selected over Lacey, which begs the question as to why a former exiled member of the side, Tyrell Malacia, is in the team.
Amorim previously complained about a lack of attacking options from the bench following a 1-1 draw with West Ham, but choosing to add an extra defender over Lacey is an odd decision.
With Mbeumo and Amad due to leave the United camp, Lacey is expected to be reintroduced, and it may be then that we see a debut for the 18-year-old winger. However, it’s good to see Tyler Fredricson’s return to the squad.
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 14:00 pm (GMT) on the United View YouTube channel.