Rúben Amorim’s best Manchester United XI after Patrick Dorgu transfer and Lisandro Martínez injury

Rúben Amorim’s best XI is set to be adjusted following the signing of Patrick Dorgu and a season-ending injury to Lisandro Martínez.

Rúben Amorim’s first two and a half months at Manchester United have been anything but smooth since taking over from Erik ten Hag.

Appointed in mid-November with United struggling in 13th place in the Premier League and winning just once in the Europa League, the 40-year-old set out to stabilise and rebuild a club in crisis.

There have been signs of progress, including impressive away victories over Arsenal and Manchester City, but inconsistency remains an issue. Under Amorim, United have won nine of their first 19 matches, suffering eight defeats and drawing twice.

Off the pitch, the challenges have been just as demanding. Three senior attackers have departed on loan in the winter transfer window without a replacement arriving, while Lisandro Martínez could miss the remainder of the season due to a knee injury.

Amorim’s best XI after January

The January transfer window saw United sign 18-year-old centre-back Ayden Heaven and Lecce left-back Patrick Dorgu, but the club also loaned out or sold 12 players, including Marcus Rashford, Antony, and Tyrell Malacia.

Also, with the deadline approaching, key defender Lisandro Martínez suffered a severe knee injury, with the player now expected to be out for around eight months, making his potential return date sit toward November.

With this in mind, there are going to be several changes to Amorim’s current best XI, although André Onana is set to continue in goal over Altay Bayındır, with the latter having been linked with a move back to Turkey.

In defence, Noussair Mazraoui has shown time and time again that he excels as a right centre-back under Amorim, with Harry Maguire a stalwart in the centre of the back three. Although Leny Yoro has played well during his minutes this season, the club are still looking to keep him away from consistent starts due to his age.

As for left centre-back, Martínez must be replaced, and Amorim’s best option may be Luke Shaw. The England international is the head coach’s only senior left-footed defender who’s shown proficiency as a centre-back, and Heaven is too young to start every game despite his recent age and obvious talent.

Shaw recently returned to training after a two-month absence, and although Amorim has stressed that he will only reinstate him once he’s ready, this may have to come sooner rather than later.

As for the wing-backs, it’s expected that Dorgu will slot straight into the left wing-back position and may make his debut as United face Leicester City at Old Trafford in the FA Cup.

With Dorgu on the left and Mazraoui as a centre-back, the right wing-back position is a toss up between Diogo Dalot and Amad, and Amorim may choose to throw the latter back into the position he initially played, with United needing the creativity.

A big reason for this may be due to where Kobbie Mainoo starts. Mainoo did really well as an attacking midfielder on the right-hand side when he played there last month, and Amorim may choose to continue the young star there, as his combinations with Amad will help the team further up the field.

As for the middle of the park, Manuel Ugarte is a mainstay with no other consistent options for the No. 6, while Amorim has been keen to stress that he likes seeing Bruno Fernandes player a little deeper than his attacking midfielders. However, consideration must be given to how Toby Collyer may perform for the remaining matches of the season.

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As for the left-hand side, Alejandro Garnacho has been performing well, and it would be interesting to see how he may combine with Dorgu as a dual threat on that flank. However, once Mason Mount returns from injury in March, he will be given consideration.

Up front, Rasmus Højlund has not scored in his last 13 appearances for the club, making Joshua Zirkzee the obvious choice to start as a striker, although the club are looking to sign a new centre-forward this summer.

Amorim’s current best XI

Onana, Mazraoui, Maguire, Shaw, Amad, Ugarte, Fernandes, Dorgu, Mainoo, Garnacho, Zirkzee.

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