With Ruben Amorim finally through the door at Manchester United, attention quickly turns to the new manager’s first game in charge.
The Portuguese will make his Premier League bow against Ipswich at Portman Road on Sunday, November 24.
Amorim said upon arriving that he would pick a structure he knows well, heavily suggesting his favoured 3-4-3 system will be deployed from the off at United.
Here, Standard Sport assesses three different ways Amorim could set United up for his first match in the dugout…
Rashford out as Amass gets the nod
Leny Yoro is expected to be out until December, so the likeliest back-line for Amorim is a three-man defence made up of Matthijs de Ligt, Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martinez.
Amorim worked with summer signing Manuel Ugarte when they were both at Sporting Lisbon, and while Erik ten Hag was yet to hand Ugarte regular starts by the time he was sacked as manager, his successor could immediately promote the Uruguayan into a more prominent role, perhaps partnering Casemiro.
The wildcard shout in this line-up, apart from Marcus Rashford‘s absence, is the inclusion of 17-year-old Harry Amass. Left-back has been a real problem position for United given Tyrell Malacia and Luke Shaw’s injury woes. Amass is yet to represent the seniors but is a capable wing-back who this system would suit down to the ground.
Line-up: Onana; De Ligt, Maguire, Martinez; Dalot, Casemiro, Ugarte, Amass; Garnacho, Hojlund, Fernandes
Fernandes moves deeper as Ugarte dropped
In the last system, Bruno Fernandes was pushed onto the left wing due to the 3-4-3 formation not including a conventional No10. Here, Fernandes could take Ugarte’s position in central midfield and drop back to be the more attack-minded of a partnership between himself and Casemiro.
Noussair Mazraoui could be trusted at left wing-back instead of teenager Amass, and Diogo Dalot’s caution at right-back could see him left out in favour of Alejandro Garnacho at right wing-back. Amorim has explained that he sometimes opts for wingers at wing-back because he can trust the first touch and attacking instincts of forward players.
The space made in attack would allow Rashford to come back in on one side of striker Rasmus Hojlund and afford the space for United’s man of the moment, Amad Diallo, to start on the right.
Line-up: Onana; De Ligt, Maguire, Martinez; Garnacho, Casemiro, Fernandes, Mazraoui; Amad, Hojlund, Rashford
Prioritising defence to let front three run riot
Again no change to the defence, but a slightly more defensive-midfield quartet, with Casemiro and Ugarte tasked with running the game from the middle of the park and Ten Hag’s starting full-backs this season, Mazraoui and Dalot, kept on as wing-backs.
Prioritising defensive players would mean less space for forwards, though, and the likes of Amad and Hojlund could both be among the substitutes against Ipswich if this is the line-up Amorim opts for.
With Garnacho one side and Rashford on the other, they would be tasked with exchanging snappy passes with Fernandes, who would become the focal point of the attack, deployed as a false nine — the position in a 3-4-3 that most resembles his most natural role of No10.
Line-up: Onana; De Ligt, Maguire, Martinez; Dalot, Casemiro, Ugarte, Mazraoui; Garnacho, Fernandes, Rashford
