Former Manchester United defender, Wes Brown, has praised one of Rúben Amorim’s central defenders after his impressive performance against Arsenal on the opening day.
Manchester United’s summer transfer recruitment has largely focused on signing attacking options to improve Rúben Amorim’s front three, with many troubles in front of goal last season.
Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo arrive at Old Trafford off the back of 17 and 20 goal seasons respectively, while Benjamin Šeško is the latest addition to Amorim’s side after scoring 21 goals in all competitions last campaign.
They replace Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee as the primary goal threats in United’s frontline, as Amad drops back to the right side of midfield, looking to overload the opposition’s defence with Mbeumo.
Jason Wilcox has been able to focus on the attacking areas because of the number of impressive defensive options already at the club. Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven took the majority of plaudits last season, but they will have to fight hard for their place in the side this season.
Noussair Mazraoui is Yoro’s most serious competition, while Heaven will have Luke Shaw and Lisandro Martínez to compete with on the left-hand side of Amorim’s back three.
Brown praises de Ligt after Arsenal performance
While United lost 1-0 against Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, there were many positives to take from the game, including the impressive performances from Matthijs de Ligt – who has been described as “dog-like” by Carl Anka – in the heart of Amorim’s defensive three.
The Dutch defender played well in United’s loss and showed that he could be the man to start in the centre of defence, despite Harry Maguire’s form towards the back end of last season.
“He’s [de Ligt] more like me than I would have thought,” said former United defender Wes Brown in an interview with The Athletic. “I like him. First of all: his physique. He’s strong. He doesn’t give up. He’s a good last-ditch defender with sliding tackles and things like that. He wants to win.”
Amorim’s main selection headache comes in midfield with Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo, but picking a starting back three won’t be easy either. Although, Brown did continue to say: “I think De Ligt will be a priority.”
Defensive minutes could be difficult to share
Due to the poor performance last campaign, United have just the Premier League, Carabao Cup and FA Cup to play for, with no European football this season. Several players will be without the game time they want, but it is the backup defenders who could struggle for minutes the most.
With de Ligt’s impressive performance against Arsenal, he is likely to start against Fulham this weekend and potentially for the foreseeable future. Maguire and Tyler Fredricson both played in the centre of defence in pre-season but could struggle for game time during the beginning of the season, especially young Fredricson.
Heaven was one of United’s best defenders last season, but again, he will struggle to displace Shaw if he can stay fit, and Martínez will be desperate to return to the side when he recovers from his injury.
The selection headaches extend to higher up the pitch, mainly with Mason Mount and Cunha. The two will be fighting for the left-sided attacking midfield spot, but new signing Cunha will surely be favoured, despite Mount’s form in pre-season.
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