How Man Utd will line up under Ruben Amorim

Cameron Smith

• 29 Oct 2024 16:00 GMT
• 4 min read

Ruben Amorim is close to becoming the next permanent Manchester United manager following the sacking of Erik ten Hag.

The Dutchman was fired on 28 October after a shock 2-1 loss to West Ham United, with the Red Devils languishing down in 14th place in the Premier League table following the defeat.

Club legend Ruud van Nistelrooy has been named as interim boss, following his short stint as Ten Hag’s assistant manager, but the Old Trafford outfit are hoping to announce the appointment of Amorim shortly.

READ MORE: Man Utd reach agreement to appoint Ruben Amorim - Romano

The 39-year-old has agreed a deal with Man Utd, according to Fabrizio Romano, with the Red Devils set to pay €10 million to Sporting in order to buy him out of his current contract.

Amorim has previously been linked with Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City, but a move to Old Trafford now looks increasingly likely following Ten Hag’s dismissal.

However, how will Amorim set up his Man Utd team if he is appointed as the next Red Devils manager?

READ MORE: Five players Ruben Amorim could sign for Man Utd

How will Ruben Amorim line up at Man Utd?

Amorim may opt to adapt his tactical set-up if he joins Man Utd, but he is likely to line up in a 3-4-3 system.

He has almost exclusively used this formation during his time at Sporting and while Man Utd have never consistently deployed this system in the Premier League era, Amorim’s arrival could change that.

The Portuguese tactician encourages his wing-backs to play a key attacking role, with current Tottenham Hotspur star Pedro Porro registering 14 goal contributions during the first half of the 2022-23 season while under Amorim’s guidance at Sporting.

Meanwhile, the double pivot in Amorim’s system are required to cover large spaces and dominate defensively, a style that has benefitted Joao Palhinha (now at Bayern Munich), Matheus Nunes (now at Manchester City) and current Man Utd midfielder Manuel Ugarte.

Morten Hjulmand has also become a highly sought-after player since linking up with Amorim in Lisbon.

Inside forwards Marcus Edwards, or Francisco Trincao, and Pedro Goncalves are required to provide creativity, while a large proportion of Sporting’s goals come from centre-forward Viktor Gyokeres.

Man Utd starting XI under Ruben Amorim

Despite a shaky start at Man Utd, Andre Onana has established himself as a solid goalkeeper at Old Trafford and he will remain as the club’s number one under Amorim.

Amorim is expected to demand reinforcements in January and next summer, but he will have to make do with Man Utd’s current set of players until then.

As a result, Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez are the most likely centre-backs to be deployed in his back three system.

Luke Shaw is perennially injured so a left wing-back will be prioritised by Amorim, although Diogo Dalot may be forced to fill in for now, with Noussair Mazraoui on the opposite flank.

Ugarte should thrive under his former Sporting boss, while Kobbie Mainoo will likely partner him in midfield, but it remains to be seen if Amorim’s system suits the England international.

Sporting signed the aforementioned Goncalves as Bruno Fernandes’ replacement, and the Man Utd captain will likely play in the same role as his countryman upon Amorim’s arrival at Old Trafford.

As a result, Marcus Rashford could drop out of the starting XI, with Alejandro Garnacho as an inside forward on the right and Rasmus Hojlund through the middle.

GK: Andre Onana

RCB: Leny Yoro

CB: Matthijs de Ligt

LCB: Lisandro Martinez

RWB: Noussair Mazraoui

CM: Manuel Ugarte

CM: Kobbie Mainoo

LWB: Diogo Dalot

RF: Alejandro Garnacho

LF: Bruno Fernandes

ST: Rasmus Hojlund