Man Utd careers OVER? Arsenal show Amorim where signings are required

Robin Bairner

• 5 Dec 2024 07:02 GMT
• 3 min read

Rubem Amorim suffered his first defeat as Manchester United head coach on Wednesday as he watched his side slump to a 2-0 loss against Arsenal.

The organisation his team showed in nullifying the Gunners in the first half will have given Amorim some hope that this is a group that can be moulded into something more, yet the lack of offensive quality that Man Utd

showed as they mustered just two shots on target at the Emirates displayed how much further investment is required in this squad.

But that’s OK. Everyone knows that the arrival of the 39-year-old is not a silver bullet that will solve the Red Devils’ issues overnight. He warned in his pre-match press conference there would be stormy moments. On a wet North London night, this was one of these.

The defeat to Arsenal was, instead, instructive in terms of what Amorim has learned about his squad.

On a night where no one in Man Utd’s dark blue change strips shone, there were three players in problem positions who struggled. This trio went into the match under pressure and have emerged with their reputations further tarnished.

What did Amorim learn in Arsenal defeat?

Man Utd have been linked with numerous left wing-backs in the January transfer window due to a lack of reliability from Luke Shaw, who missed the match through injury, and Tyrell Malacia, who played instead.

The Dutchman is lacking competitive minutes but struggled to contain Bukayo Saka. Although he gave a dogged performance, he showed nothing to suggest that he is a long-term solution for the Red Devils. He was taken off at the break.

Malacia could be forgiven his struggles, but it was really further forward Amorim will have concerns.

Current ETV

Mason Mount

AM, M (C)

Man Utd

Mason Mount

AM, M (C)

Man Utd

€25.7M

ETV Range

€19.3M - €32.2M

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Mason Mount’s future has been put under question almost since he joined the club and, given the opportunity on this big stage, failed to exert any influence on the game. In an hour on the field, he managed just 15 touches and only won one of four duels. He was anonymous.

Similarly, with the spectre of Viktor Gyokeres hanging over his head, Rasmus Hojlund picked a bad time to turn in a display that will have Amorim questioning his suitability.

When it came to getting into the game, the Dane was even worse than Mount, with just 20 touches, although he could argue that as the centre-forward, he was simply lacking supply from an attacking midfield area that was woefully underpowered.

The former Atalanta striker had an entirely anonymous game in terms of his offensive contribution but at least worked effectively defensively.

It was a night where the performances of Mount and Hojlund will be particularly scrutinised. Both were in the team to be a nuisance out of possession, but equally Amorim would have expected more from the pair in an attacking sense.

Man Utd continue to be heavily linked with Sporting CP pair Gyokeres and Geovany Quenda, and the performance away to Arsenal will only serve to amplify those rumours.