Ruben Amorim’s new star is the key to beating Manchester City – and here’s how

Rasmus Højlund is Rúben Amorim’s key to beating Manchester City as Manchester United take on Pep Guardiola in the Premier League.

Rasmus Højlund was signed with a lot of promise, and despite finishing his debut season as Manchester United‘s top goalscorer, questions are still asked about his suitability for the centre-forward position at Old Trafford.

The Danish forward is clearly extremely talented – Erik ten Hag stated in an interview with Gary Neville last season he has potential to be a 30 goal striker – but also currently very raw. With United struggling, many feel a more proven scorer is needed right now over this potential. Somebody who will guarantee goals.

Read More: Amad Diallo breaks silence on Rasmus Højlund argument after Manchester United win

However, so far under Rúben Amorim, it has gone under the radar that Højlund has scored five goals, having appeared in five of the six games Amorim has coached so far at United.

He is hungry for more, too, expressing his frustrations towards Amad Diallo on the pitch for not passing the ball to him at the end after full time on Thursday night – a night where his two goals saved United from embarrassment against Viktoria Plzen.

The two are United’s hot hands right now, with Amad laying goals on for fun and Højlund banging them in.

The 21-year-old striker is emerging as one of Amorim’s most important players, having made himself the clear first option in that position over Joshua Zirkzee and Marcus Rashford, and his qualities will be particularly key to defeating Manchester City on Sunday in the strangest Manchester derbies in years.

United being not as good as fans would hope is a common story, but City are currently on their knees in a way they never have been under Pep Guardiola. Physically, they look like an absolute wreck and all season long they have been tortured by powerful, direct runners in attack. That sounds like the kind of defence Rasmus Højlund yearns to play against.

United realistically won’t hold most of the ball, but Amorim has beaten City once already this season when in charge of Sporting CP, and he did so with very little ball possession.

With the little they did have, his Sporting side cleverly manufactured transitional situations that got their attackers running at or behind City and this caused them extreme problems, shipping four goals on the night.

Højlund is at his best when his direct running qualities are utilised. He is tall, strong, and possibly United’s fastest player. For his second goal on Thursday, he completely shrugged off a defender when running behind with the ball and finished what was a difficult chance as if it was nothing.

He scored an excellent goal on the run against Galatasaray in the Champions League last season and has many such examples of these goals from Atalanta.

The big spaces on the counter are where United will be able to catch City out, and Amorim will know this having already done it once this season. To exploit these spaces, United need the powerful running qualities of Højlund, as well as the intensity and determination he shows in his play to cause problems and get at defenders.

It is this fight that puts him above Zirkzee and Rashford in that centre forward position. Out of possession, he is the best presser of the three by a distance and when United do have possession he puts himself about in a way the other two do not.

Whilst they each bring their own fantastic qualities, the intention in Højlund’s game means United are a far more threatening team with him than without him.

There was one particular moment in the FA Cup final last season where against this opposition, Højlund dragged United up the pitch in the last minute with just seconds to play, battling in a way that is not often enough seen from United’s players. Those same opponents are currently much weaker than they were at that time, and the Dane has only grown stronger.

On course to be United’s top scorer for the second season running, and almost halfway to last season’s tally already, Højlund is making himself not just a part of Ruben Amorim’s plans for Manchester United but central to them.

If United are to execute Guardiola’s City in Sunday’s derby, there is a good chance that Højlund will be the one making the call.

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