Rúben Amorim has issued a worrying update on Matthijs de Ligt following Manchester United’s 4-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday evening.
Rúben Amorim oversaw his most convincing win of the season as Manchester United put four goals past Wolverhampton Wanderers in Monday night’s Premier League clash.
United started brightly and dominated possession from the off. Their early pressure was rewarded after 20 minutes when Bruno Fernandes opened the scoring, capitalising on determined pressing from Matheus Cunha, even if the finish was not the cleanest.
Opportunities soon followed for Bryan Mbeumo, Cunha, and Amad, but it was Wolves who found the next goal. Jean-Ricner Bellegarde struck just before half-time to draw the hosts level, scoring their first Premier League goal in over eight hours.
Neither manager made changes at the interval, though United returned with renewed urgency. Mbeumo needed little time to edge the visitors back in front with a neat finish, before Fernandes produced a sublime pass for Mason Mount to increase the lead.
With ten minutes remaining, United sealed the result from the spot as Fernandes calmly converted a penalty to complete the scoring, securing the club’s biggest win of the campaign and propelling them up to sixth in the Premier League table.
Amorim delivers worrying De Ligt update
After starting every single fixture in the league for United this season, Dutch centre-back Matthijs de Ligt has missed the last two games with an unspecified injury.
Although it was thought his injury was initially a minor one and Amorim had hoped to have him back in contention to face Wolves, the United boss issued a coy and worrying update about the player after the full-time whistle.
Speaking to the press after the fixture, Amorim was asked if there was a timeframe for the 26-year-old’s return, to which he replied, “I don’t know.
“Sometimes you have an idea, then you have to see day by day. I’m not going to say when he is coming back.”
With this coming not long after he was initially expected to return quickly, there is little choice but for those to
A new role emerging for Martínez
Amorim often likes to see his central centre-back emerge from the back three and step into midfield in the build-up, and in the last two games, it’s been 19-year-old Ayden Heaven who has filled the void left by De Ligt.
“Ayden has a great future,” Amorim said on Monday evening. “He’s really hard to beat. He adapts really well in the centre. We have Matta [De Ligt] and Harry [Maguire] with problems.
“Of course, he needs more rhythm to play 90 minutes. I think he did really well and I really enjoyed to see him with the ball.”
However, in the second half, it was interesting to note that Lisandro Martínez, typically deployed at left centre-back when fit, was the one to replace Hevaen, with Leny Yoro instead covering on the left of the front three.
While it remains to be seen if this was just a game-management decision or the first sign of a new role for the Argentine international, and given his physicality and ability with the ball at his feet, he could be a fantastic option to have down the centre of the pitch.
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 12:30 pm (BST) on the United View YouTube channel.