Ruben Amorim and his Manchester United side must turn their attention quickly to the Manchester Derby after suffering defeat to Nottingham Forest.
Manchester United fell to a 1-0 loss against Nottingham Forest in their return to action this week after Anthony Elanga scored the only goal of the game.
There were some positives to take from the game, such as the performance of Leny Yoro on his return from injury, but also some concerns.
For Ruben Amorim, there is no time to dwell on the result as the Reds have an important clash against Manchester City coming up.
While the Premier League is almost irrelevant for United this season, with no upturn in form able to change much for them, a derby game will always mean something.
A victory could also give the Reds a much-needed boost heading into their Europa League quarter-final clash against Lyon next week.
Amorim must drop three United players for derby
Looking at the game against City, there could be several changes Amorim makes to his team after the defeat to Forest.
Firstly, Manuel Ugarte could come back out of the side after disappointing at the City Ground. He was replaced at half-time and it was obvious that Bruno Fernandes was needed in the deeper role.
With Fernandes set to play deeper, it seems obvious to keep Casemiro next to him rather than Ugarte, with the Brazilian in better form at the moment.
Meanwhile, Alejandro Garnacho could come out of the firing line once again after a poor display on Tuesday night.
Everything the Argentine tried in the final third failed and it would be a better decision to see him try and make an impact off the bench against City’s tired legs on the weekend.
Finally, Amorim may look to switch up the defence partly due to rotation. Yoro only just came back from injury and played 88 minutes against Forest.
Despite being one of the better players, Amorim may look to protect the teenager and bring Harry Maguire back into the lineup with Matthijs de Ligt moving across to one of the wide centre-back roles.
Mount could be reintroduced to United XI vs City
After impressing off the bench against Forest, Mason Mount could look to make his first start for the club since the last Manchester Derby in December.
It was in that game where Mount fell to the floor in the opening 15 minutes. He has now made two matchday squads and Amorim thinks he suits the roles behind the striker in this system.
“If you look at the history of Mason Mount, he played in this system many times, especially in Chelsea, he played left-hand, right-hand [side]. So I think it’s a very good position for him,” explained the United boss.
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Should Garnacho come out of the team and Fernandes move back to his deeper role, Mount is the best option to play alongside Joshua Zirkzee in those split no.10 roles.
After suffering heart-break in his last Manchester Derby, the 26-year-old may feel that he has a point to prove this time around.
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