Nine Man Utd players Amorim should get rid of and 11 he should keep
You can’t win the America’s Cup with a low-grade boat, or a Formula One race without a quick car.
The logical extension of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s analogy when assessing Ineos’ sailing defeat to New Zealand on the shores of Barcelona three weeks ago is that if Max Verstappen were a footballer he would not be challenging for the title with this Manchester United squad.
Even Sir Jim understands that United do not have enough players of the requisite quality to challenge for the top prizes.
He was asked whether he could take any lessons from the comprehensive defeat in the America’s Cup to United. And his response was clinical.
“I think there’s one little crossover, which is that you can’t win the America’s Cup, unless you arrive at the America’s Cup with a boat that could win the America’s Cup,” he said.
“Same in Formula One. I mean you put Max Verstappen in a Williams, he’s not going to win a Formula One championship. And with football it’s the same with the squad in a way. That’s the parallel for me.
“You can’t win anything in football if your squad isn’t good enough to win something. The quality of the squad is a bit like the speed of the boat. That’s the only parallel really.”
Another featureless grind against Chelsea highlighted the scale of the task facing Ruben Amorim when he clocks on at Carrington next Monday. Against top opposition, United are a blunt tool.
In their role as pundits, ex United players Gary Neville and Roy Keane head straight from the Sky studio for counselling every week to process what they have just witnessed, a team without identity of character.
So where does Amorim start? Who stays and who goes under the new regime?
The onion bag crisis
Let’s start with the attack, where United labour to make an impact. Just nine goals in 10 league games this season. Only Crystal Palace and Southampton have scored fewer. This is in part a function of chances created, but also the absence of a clinical edge.
Amorim will look to reinforce in the summer. Most fans would gorge on Viktor Gyokeres’ 63 goals in 66 Sporting Lisbon appearances, or maybe Amorim already had a replacement in mind for the reportedly Barcelona-bound ex-Coventry man.
Working with what he has, Rasmus Hojlund is a grafter, but spends a good deal of his time backing into centre-backs instead of hunting space. He is hurt by the absence of a natural left-footer down the wing, with both Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford seeking to come inside rather than hitting the byline.
This problem is exacerbated by the injuries to Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia, which has denied United an overlapping left-back for the best part of a year.
Hojlund’s back-up, Joshua Zirkzee, has offered little to suggest he is anywhere near the required standard since his arrival in the summer from Bologna. He lacks pace and physicality, and for a bloke standing 6ft 4in, is next to useless in the air.
Fancy footwork and back heels are fine for five-a-sides but have little application in the technical bear pit of the Premier League. Could easily be farmed out on loan if not sold.
Garnacho is quick and busy, but on balance a level below the best. And his retention on the left keeps Rashford from his best position. Rashford is thus pushed out to the right, where he struggles for traction and, worse still, displaces Amad Diallo, arguably United’s most effective attacker.
To fashion an immediate impact you would imagine Amorim would have to set Amad free down the right and alternate Rashford and Garnacho on the left.
Antony is already for sale. Unless Amorim really is a miracle worker there appears little chance of reprieve for the Brazilian.
Midfield, the problem of Bruno Fernandes and old legs
Fernandes is the only player at United who would slot easily into any top side. His problem has been compensating for the lack of quality around him. Less should be more under Amorim. By increments Manuel Ugarte appears to be finding his feet as the midfield anchor, which has released Casemiro higher up the pitch, where he is far more effective.
The problem is whenever United are hit on the counter Casemiro and/or Christian Eriksen are short of pace. Rashford and Garnacho lack defensive discipline and Fernandes is left trying to fill holes.
The burden on Fernandes would be considerably lighter were Mason Mount not made of balsa. Mount has made Shaw look unbreakable following his £55m arrival from Chelsea. On the plus side, the fee looks unlikely to reach the projected £60m with add-ons.
Man Utd’s squad – keep or get rid?
Amorim requires a major overhaul (Graphic: i)
Players to keep
Andre Onana
Lisandro Martinez
Leny Yoro
Matthijs de Ligt
Noussair Mazraoui
Bruno Fernandes
Kobbie Mainoo
Manuel Ugarte
Rasmus Hojlund
Marcus Rashford
Amad Diallo
Monitor
Altay Bayindir
Diogo Dalot
Luke Shaw
Alejandro Garnacho
Jettison
Victor Lindelof
Harry Maguire
Tyrell Malacia
Jonny Evans
Christian Eriksen
Casemiro
Mason Mount
Antony
Joshua Zirkzee
Loan
Ethan Wheatley
Toby Collyer
With Mount unavailable and supernova Kobbie Mainoo injured, Ruud van Nistelrooy was forced to deploy out-of-work centre-half Victor Lindelof in midfield when Ugarte was withdrawn against Chelsea. Maybe Lindelof is auditioning for a new role in what is set to be his final season since he is unlikely to feature as a starter in a three-at-the-back configuration.
Toby Collyer looks like a kid hopelessly over-matched in the Premier League. Needs time to develop, but Amorim has other priorities.
Defence
If the fundamentals begin in defence, the three summer arrivals at least give Amorim room for manoeuvre in the implementation of his favoured three at the back system. And in Sporting’s Pedro Goncalves, he has the answer to United’s left-sided issues should he be part of the next summer raid.
There is good news in the return to training of Leny Yoro, who looked the part in his brief summer tour. He is quick, athletic, has good feet and can pass.
Matthijs de Ligt is gradually getting up to speed. He was eventually overwhelmed in the pitiful loss to Liverpool after looking sharp when the game was in the balance. He reads the game well, makes his share of blocks and interceptions and marshals the defence well.
Amorim will doubtless value Noussair Mazraoui’s versatility.
Should Shaw or Malacia ever recover, thus freeing him from the left-back compromise, Diogo Dalot would be pushed to keep the right-sided slot. Competition is always healthy, of course.
Lisandro Martinez has suffered with the lack of stability around him. He would suit the left side of a back-three. In a calmer environment he would be less inclined to reckless interventions, and he is arguably the best left-footed passer in the team.
In goal Andre Onana has been impressive, United’s most improved player alongside Amad. Onana has cut out the errors, and with it grown in authority.
That in turn gives the team confidence. Amorim will seek to make even better use of his excellent feet to get the team firing.
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