Former Arsenal winger Theo Walcott has offered huge praise for one Manchester United star, who he thinks is helping making Ruben Amorim’s system work.
Manchester United seem to have finally hit top gear this season, stringing together three straight wins in the Premier League.
After a difficult start that placed early scrutiny on Ruben Amorim, the Reds have started to find consistency with victories over Sunderland, Liverpool, and Brighton.
The win at Anfield earlier this month was a standout result, but following it up with another composed performance against Brighton may have been even more important for Amorim’s side.
In the past, United have often excelled in high-profile matches only to lose focus in more routine fixtures. This time, they kept their standards high from start to finish.
Next, United head to the City Ground to face Nottingham Forest, now led by newly appointed manager Sean Dyche. The in-form Reds will look to build on their momentum and secure a fourth successive league win.
Walcott offers huge praise for one United star
United’s upturn in form has been due to multiple different things, including the performances of those upfront like Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha.
But there is an argument that the displays from the back three has been even more important, with the aggressiveness of Luke Shaw and Matthijs de Ligt helping United in Amorim’s system.
Ex-Arenal winger Theo Walcott has issued praise for Luke Shaw, who has been playing as the left centre-back this season, and he believes that the 30-year-old is helping making things tick.
Speaking on The Overlap US’ ‘It’s Called Soccer!’ podcast, Walcott said: “The team are understanding the way to play in his system now.
“When you have three at the back, you always have to have one of the centre-backs coming out into the midfield to be a third midfielder.
“Luke Shaw is that man doing that because he’s the one out of all the players that you trust to be able to cover as well.”
“They need that if Bruno [Fernandes] and Cunha are going to work in the same team because I wasn’t so sure if they could really operate in the same team.
“Once you get players who can step out, be confident and have that trust behind them, that’s no problem and this system works.”
Defenders crucial in Amorim’s system
It has been obvious since Amorim’s first day at United that the wide centre-backs in his system would be crucial to how well the team performs.
There have been arguments about whether they are tasked with too much under Amorim, but the bare minimum they need to do is ensure they press into midfield, and when that happens, the team usually perform better.
Shaw is aggressive out of possession and also looks to make fouls if he’s going to lose the duel, which helps break the play up and stop counter-attacks.
He is certainly not the perfect player for that role and Lisandro Martínez will likely return when he is fully fit, but the Englishman is listening to Amorim’s demands and helping the team.
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