Ruben Amorim - Manchester United Head Coach

I’m not sure he said we won’t sell players like Mainoo. I think that he meant we won’t sell academy players solely to generate cash. If Amorim doesn’t rate him or see him fitting into the system then he’s fair game to be sold
If Mainoo is good enough, Amorim will find a way to integrate him into the system. A good coach builds systems around players’ strengths. With Mainoo, the big “if” is his attitude. For years, we’ve struggled to fully unlock the potential of world-class prospects from the Academy: Januzaj, Rashford, Greenwood, and now, it seems, Mainoo. I’m afraid there might be a systemic problem.

Yes, I agree that Ratcliffe meant he isn’t going to sell Academy players solely to raise cash. But isn’t Mainoo the first player who comes to mind in this context, given all the rumors regarding him?
 
He can’t be the only reason we have been bad at defending set pieces.
He's not. We have been a lot better at set pieces but I don't think we've really played a team that depends on set pieces much. Arsenal were undergoing a set piece drought when we played them last and Sociedad aren't really a set piece side either. A truer test would be vs the Everton and Brentfords of this world.

We've undoubtedly improved though, but this trend was on an upward trajectory when licha was stil fit too if I'm not mistaken.

That being said Heaven looks to enjoy his headers and it always helps.
 
With the midfielders we have, playing it long is unfortunately the best option. They don't have the physicality or technique to keep the ball under pressure for long periods of time. I think Amorim has recognized this and is compromising a little bit on his ideals.

Booting it long against 10 men? Between expecting us to play like peak-Barca and the loose football that we play because 'midfielders not good enough', there should be a much better middle ground than what we're seeing.
 
My post might come across as overly optimistic, but I didn’t emphasize the main point I wanted to make: Ruben is a very capable coach, a level or two above Ten Hag and Ole, and we should trust him.

In the Arsenal game, I noticed several improvements—wider flanks (especially on the right, where Garnacho stayed on the touchline and Mazraoui pushed forward), a more limited role for Casemiro, and the ZZ-Højlund pairing. However, I held off on commenting until I saw the same setup working in the following game.
This formation is not set in stone—it’s a product of Ruben’s adherence to his principles and the squad he inherited in the midst of this mess. He didn’t sign these players; he arrived mid-season to a toxic atmosphere. He offloaded several players, dealt with a record number of injuries, and yet, despite all that, we now see a well-oiled, functioning machine playing attacking football—beautiful, technically brilliant football. It’s not just a relief—it’s a revelation.

Of course, this could change in the next game because, honestly, it still feels too good to be true. Sociedad didn’t press us well and failed to adapt to our build-up strategy. The Premier League is a different beast—it will be much tougher. We’re definitely not competing for the title next season.

Maybe, in the end, Ruben decides not to stick with the 3-1-4-2 and instead tries to shape Man United around his Sporting template. We might sell ZZ and Garnacho for good money, thanks to Ruben giving them the platform to showcase their talent. He could then reinvest the proceeds into players that fit his vision. If Højlund keeps performing like he did against Sociedad, his value will rise as well—tactical forwards are highly sought after by coaches these days.

The way many of us analyze football is through snapshots and rigid categorization. We assign fixed attributes to players, build our vision around blackboard schemes, and suddenly, we think we can predict the future. But football, like life, is dynamic and unpredictable.

For example, I was certain Garnacho would be sold for good money. He’s an unbelievable player, but every coach before Ruben played him in a way that left him isolated and only half as effective as he could be. The same applies to Mainoo. Right now, I have no idea where he fits into this team. He’s undeniably talented—hence why other clubs value him so highly—but I just don’t see a clear role for him. Ruben, however, does.

Jim Ratcliffe has made it clear that we’re not selling players like Mainoo. He believes, as I do now, that Ruben will find a way to maximize his talent for the team. Which position? Honestly, I have no clue.

Yes, we need another goalkeeper. Like the vast majority of fans, I believe Onana is beyond repair. We also need a higher-quality center forward because Højlund, at this stage, is still too raw—he’d be a great backup.

Depth is crucial at LWB and RWB—not just because Shaw is perpetually injured and Dalot is often uninspiring, but because these positions demand an enormous physical output. Further up the pitch, we need serious changes: replacing Antony, Sancho, and Rashford should be a priority. As for Mount, I have no hope that he’ll stay fit, unfortunately.

Overall, while we may not have completely turned the corner, we’re undeniably on the right track. A big shout-out to INEOS for their transfer strategy—it’s been the most significant improvement so far. They’re demonstrating a keen ability to recruit the necessary personnel, including Ruben.
Are we talking about United still?
 
Yes. But only in one particular game.
Ok got it. I think a large part of the beautifulness was that we played the 11th team from Spain, known to offer not a lot in terms of attacking, having to have a go at us due to us being one up while for large part of the better parts of the game also being a man down away from home...

No question, a team like us had it in the cards to make even such a situation a challenge and we delivered a very professional performance and won deservedly offering good performances across the board. I like that people are so enthusiastic towards individual games. Lets hope it won't continue in case we suck hard today...
 
Leicester are absolute shambles, but there is no doubt we are improving and playing better in the last few games. Well done.
 
Got a lot of criticism for not throwing the youngsters on against Spurs but looks like he’s bedding them into the team in a far more sensible way.

Great to see Heaven, Amass, Obi and Collyer getting meaningful minutes tonight
 
He didn't seem best pleased with the unforced errors we kept making through out the game. One thing is for sure, we atleast look like we are building towards something, a feeling i haven't had since we went on that run until the league cup victory.
 
Guy can't catch a break if that Heaven injury is as bad as it seems.

Tough, tough run of fixtures coming up in the league, and I am sure the Amorim out calls will be heard again as soon as we see the injuries taking its inevitable toll on this squad.
 
Got a lot of criticism for not throwing the youngsters on against Spurs but looks like he’s bedding them into the team in a far more sensible way.

Great to see Heaven, Amass, Obi and Collyer getting meaningful minutes tonight

6 players aged 22 and under made an appearance.

We also have Dorgu, Yoro, Amad, Mainoo.

So that's a young, quality squad we're building.
 
Guy can't catch a break if that Heaven injury is as bad as it seems.

Tough, tough run of fixtures coming up in the league, and I am sure the Amorim out calls will be heard again as soon as we see the injuries taking its inevitable toll on this squad.

Hellhunter and Licha-vidic are on standby with dozens of posts for the moment something goes wrong.
 
I strongly believe we have the right coach. Just need to get him the players he needs

It's been a rare positive week
 
Feels like the international break is coming at the wrong time for us, but hoping we will have a lot of players rested and a stronger squad for the forest game as we seem to be building a bit of momentum
 
Everyone knows my views on Amorim. However, I am hoping to be proven wrong and I've been happy with the adjustments I have seen over the past week.

Much more of a mid-block, mid-press, using transition football, playing to the strengths of his players, instead of trying to make them something they're not.

Playing like this Amorim can get much more out of our current squad and we might, just might, be competitive in the Europa League.

If he chooses evolution not revolution, maybe the future looks brighter than I feared?
 
Next 3 PL fixtures will be brutal but at least i'm starting to see some good signs. Especially since the Arsenal game. Don't care about PL results now that we are basically safe. It's all on the Europa League now. Need to put everything into that.
 
Everyone knows my views on Amorim. However, I am hoping to be proven wrong and I've been happy with the adjustments I have seen over the past week.

Much more of a mid-block, mid-press, using transition football, playing to the strengths of his players, instead of trying to make them something they're not.

Playing like this Amorim can get much more out of our current squad and we might, just might, be competitive in the Europa League.

If he chooses evolution not revolution, maybe the future looks brighter than I feared?

I think if you asked Ruben Amorim, the future is brighter than simply the evolution you are talking about. He wants us to be a dominant team, with and without the ball. This mid block transition stuff will be long forgotten about if he can implement what he’s trying to do.
 
Imagine you have to deal with Eriksen and Lindelof starting and still winning 3 nil away from home. Once he get his player I am sure we will improve massively.

The lack of composure, control you can sense he hates that. The same for things like Dalot not controlling an easy ball at the end of the game. If he upgrades 3-5 players in the next couple of windows, we can start flying. perhaps more luck with injuries like Mount, Martinez or miraculous comeback from Shaw + adding some youth Heaven, Obi could make us more exciting sooner rather than later.
 
Good moment for a break.
A few players need to rest. 2 extra weeks for Mason to mount his recovery.
Maybe Yoro and 'Arry too.

Today showed what we've been telling you haters and knowitalls - if our forwards manage to find the fecking net, we are in biz.

Hopefully Hojlund, Zirk and Garnacho can continue their raise in form. Would make tons of difference in next months.
 
Great signs but for those expecting an influx of promising players this summer, I don’t think that’s happening. I won’t be surprised if we only get a single player in to replace Rashford.
 
Great signs but for those expecting an influx of promising players this summer, I don’t think that’s happening. I won’t be surprised if we only get a single player in to replace Rashford.
Even if so, inclusion of upcoming youngsters should speed up process of rebuild, despite obstacles.
 
Great signs but for those expecting an influx of promising players this summer, I don’t think that’s happening. I won’t be surprised if we only get a single player in to replace Rashford.

Heaven and Dorgu show you don't need to sign £80m players to improve the team or squad. Him and Dorgu were £26m combined. We need to do smart business and we can get at least couple of players in. Hell, we'll need to with the amount of players leaving.
 
A commendable away win was overshadowed by a potentially serious injury to Ayden Heaven.

Like all of us, I hope Ayden, who was delivering an outstanding performance, is okay and that the injury isn’t as serious as it appeared.

When I saw the lineup, my first thought was: “Is Ruben using the Premier League as his testing ground?” But then I realized he didn’t have much choice. The most obvious issue was Dorgu’s unavailability, preventing us from replicating the 3-1-4-2 formation we used against Real Sociedad, which focused on the wings with two center-forwards in the middle.

Playing Casemiro as a single pivot for the third consecutive game in just seven days was also not feasible. So, I rationalized the lineup choices: a familiar 3-4-3 setup, reminiscent of Sporting’s template, with one inverting wing-back and two attacking midfielders. And, predictably, the familiar problems resurfaced.

Build-up Play

Deploying Diogo Dalot as a left wing-back has been problematic for our build-up play. Opponents recognize that Dalot struggles to control the ball on the move in this position, leading them to aggressively press our center-backs. This pressure often forces a hurried switch to Mazraoui on the right, who then faces immediate pressing, resulting in turnovers. Our center-backs appear hesitant to maintain possession, possibly due to a lack of confidence in playing back to Onana or general uncertainty under pressure. Only Heaven and Yoro seem composed enough to retain the ball when pressed.

In contrast, players like Diomande and Inácio exhibit patience and skill under pressure, effectively catching opposing attackers off balance. Their confidence stems from the numerical advantage provided by involving the goalkeeper in play and the anticipation of midfielders dropping back or passing lanes opening to the central center-back with patience. It’s notable that Maguire rarely receives the ball in midfield areas where he frequently positions himself.

I’m focusing on this phase because it’s been our biggest problem since Amorim’s arrival. We’ve conceded numerous goals by losing possession on the right flank or in the space in front of the center-backs. It was disheartening to witness that again.

This issue also fuels the negativity among some fans, who become particularly vocal during those frustrating spells of turnovers. While their frustrations are understandable, the constant negativity can be draining. It often leads to attacks on positive posters, misinterpretations, player devaluation in post-match threads, and an overall dampening of positivity in the forum, regardless of how well we played.

Apologies for that digression. Back to the game: I honestly don’t know how we managed to progress the ball. It seemed chaotic, lacking clear patterns. Perhaps I need to rewatch the match, but time doesn’t permit. Thankfully, we have Bruno Fernandes, who once again proved his worth. To me, he’s a club legend—not just for his recent performances but for his overall contribution during these challenging years.

Defense: The Unsung Hero

A positive aspect, often overlooked, is our defense. Even with 2.5 center-backs, we managed to keep Leicester at bay, barring a couple of moments like Buonanotte’s shot and Onana’s save. Our defense has dramatically improved since the beginning of the year, allowing us to secure points even when other aspects of our game were lacking. There’s been visible and steady progress. It’s telling that our center-backs face less criticism these days—a subtle yet significant form of praise.

All in all, it was a good but challenging win against a struggling team.
 
Great signs but for those expecting an influx of promising players this summer, I don’t think that’s happening. I won’t be surprised if we only get a single player in to replace Rashford.

There will be an influx of players, it just won’t be for the huge fees we’ve seen previously.
 
Heaven and Dorgu show you don't need to sign £80m players to improve the team or squad. Him and Dorgu were £26m combined. We need to do smart business and we can get at least couple of players in. Hell, we'll need to with the amount of players leaving.
Even if so, inclusion of upcoming youngsters should speed up process of rebuild, despite obstacles.

Good to hear some positivity. I guess my confidence in us doing good business has been somewhat derailed by our poor history in transfer dealings pre-INEOS.

A couple of effective and hungry players should see us changed as a team…let’s hope our scouts are on to it.
 
Nice to get a couple of wins in a row. The feeling of losing most weeks seems to be lifting a bit, let's hope we can keep the momentum going after the international break and have a proper go at Europa.