The 3-0 victory over Leicester City in round 11 of the Premier League could not help Man United rise to the top half of the rankings. However, they have ended Ruud van Nistelrooy's interim journey with 4 unbeaten matches. Looking at the big picture, the gap between the "Red Devils" and the above group is only a few points, just continue to win, the breakthrough can come immediately.
Nearly 24 hours after Man United's home win over Leicester, the team's new captain - Ruben Amorim landed in Manchester on a private jet with his assistants. The young Portuguese strategist has officially embarked on a new journey in the hope of reviving Man United, who were too miserable under his predecessor Erik ten Hag.
In the next 2 weeks, Amorim will have time to research and implement a new style of play at Man United. When there are no games to experiment with, he needs to take advantage of personnel in high form to make the first steps solid. Two of the very good players expected to help Amorim in the early days were Amad Diallo and Manuel Ugarte.
After a double against PAOK to help Man United win the Europa League, Amad continues to be trusted and shows the enthusiasm that Man United is lacking at the moment. With Typhoon Amad on the right wing, the "Red Devils" attackers are more confident in finding a suitable location to deploy their attacks. If necessary, the Ivorian striker will play the finishing role.
It was not until Ten Hag left the team and Van Nistelrooy took over as interim manager that Amad had the opportunity to show himself. If Rashford continues to play as badly as he is now, the English striker's position will certainly be lost to Garnacho on the left wing. From there, on the opposite wing, Amad will be the one to guard.
If Amorim is determined to use a successful 3-4-3 formation at Sporting, Amad can be the factor chosen in the 4-man attack. Amorim will have to choose factors that can operate well independently so as not to rely too much on counter-attacks. In the current Red Devils squad, Amad and Garnacho are two stars who can do that.
The match against Leicester was the first time Manuel Ugarte played fully since the beginning of the season. The Uruguayan midfielder had a very good performance, covering the field from start to finish and always being a solid wall in front of the defense. For the first time in Premier League history, Man United have had a midfielder who successfully tackled 8 times in a match like Ugarte.
It was thanks to the 23-year-old star's great bravery that Casemiro was able to play higher and threaten the opponent's goal. In the case of Amad, Ugarte under Van Nistelrooy played very well, making fans confused why Ten Hag abandoned these two young stars.
One of Ugarte's advantages in the coming time is that he and coach Amorim have worked together at Sporting. The Portuguese coach really likes midfielders who can tackle well and consistently in midfield, so Ugarte will be the right one. When Kobbie Mainoo returns, Amorim could have a pair of both flexible and brave players in midfield.
Although Van Nistelrooy's time in charge was not long, he left his successor Amorim with very impressive reps. When he was still playing football, Van Gol was a top scorer for Man United. Now, sitting in the coaching position, he has played the role of creator for Amorim with a squad that is full of spirit and has a lot of potential.
