Ruben Amorim’s first Man Utd group hints at unsure future for £108m stars
The future of two Manchester United forwards is in doubt after Ruben Amorim picked his first team.
The Portuguese boss failed to get his United journey off to a winning start when his side travelled to Ipswich on Sunday. An early goal from Marcus Rashford was cancelled out by a stunning Omari Hutchinson effort.
Amorim’s formation and tactics had been widely discussed before his first match. His iconic three-back formation proved a mighty success at his previous club Sporting CP. He left them with 11 wins from 11 matches and top of the league.
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What took some United fans back was his choice in centre forward. Instead of picking the usual No.9 Rasmus Hojlund, or his common replacement Joshua Zirkzee, Amorim picked England international Rashford – usually deployed as a wide forward or even winger – to play down the middle.
It seemed to be a genius move as the United academy graduate scored less than two minutes into the game. But after the early lightning strike goal, Rashford failed to produce again.
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
It was in the 68th minute when the United boss decided to swap Rashford out, substituting him and Christian Eriksen, picked as part of a two-man midfield with Casemiro, for Hojlund and Zirkzee. This not only highlighted a sense of desperation from Amorim to score a winning goal, but it also led to him changing the dynamic of his team mid-game.
The two strikers who United paid £108m for found themselves being used as ‘super-subs’. Hojlund was recruited for a whopping £72m – £21m more than City paid for goal machine Erling Haaland. And while the Danish striker hasn’t had the best start to his time at United, struggling for goals especially in the league, it would be harsh to say he belongs on the bench.
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Having two top strikers on the sidelines will also not help a team who have consistently struggled in front of goal. The fallen Premier League giants have the third-lowest goals scored this season, tied with Newcastle.
Whether Rashford will stay as the sole No.9 for future matches is uncertain as Amorim is likely to switch up his side going forward as he continues to experiment. However, if this was to remain, Hojlund and Zirkzee are unlikely to be contempt starting games on the bench.
