Featured Image Credit: Sky Sports - Getty Images
Topics: Fan Reactions, Manchester United, Chelsea, Premier League, Ruben Amorim
Jack Kenmare
Topics: Fan Reactions, Manchester United, Chelsea, Premier League, Ruben Amorim
Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim was inundated with advice regarding team selection during Sunday afternoon's Premier League clash against Chelsea.
The 39-year-old, who has signed a contract until June 2027, with the option of a further year, will take charge of his first United game against Ipswich Town on Sunday, November 24.
He will, however, take charge of the club on Monday, November 11, which means he will get a decent chunk of time on the Carrington training pitch before this month's four-hour trip to Portman Road.
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Based on players he has managed in the past, the Portuguese coach is expected to give former Sporting Lisbon midfielder Manuel Ugarte more first-team minutes.
Ugarte, who established himself as one of the Europe's best defensive midfielders under Amorim before joining PSG in 2023, has failed to hit the ground running since his big-money move in the summer.
Bu he is familiar with Amorim's preferred 3-4-3 or 3-4-2-1 system.
With all that being said, fans think his midfield partnership with Casemiro is lacking after the pair started Sunday's clash against Chelsea on Sunday afternoon
Here's how fans on social media reacted during the game.
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One fan wrote: "An Ugarte-Casemiro double pivot gotta be one of the worst combos you can have in possession."
Another said: "This pivot of Casemiro and Ugarte is going to take years of my life. So bad," while a third commented: "Midfield pairing of Casemiro and Ugarte is horrendous."
A fourth wrote: "A midfield of Ugarte and Casemiro is criminal," and a fifth added: "The trio of Bruno-Casemiro-Ugarte is where ball retention doesn't exist. Shocking passing even in short distances from Bruno now."
Somebody who is convinced by Ugarte is interim manager Ruud van Nistelrooy, who was full of praise for the Uruguayan this week.
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“I’m convinced about Manuel. He will be a great player for United," said van Nistelrooy. “He has very specific qualities where he gets in between players and recovers a lot of balls to get us into attacking positions."
Van Nistelrooy added that United will have to rely on Ugarte more in the coming weeks as Kobbie Mainoo and Mason Mount recover from injury.
"The recruitment is not part of the assistant manager but I can comment on working with Manuel on a daily basis," the Dutchman added. "He’s adjusting, he wants to adjust, he wants to be part of this club, do well and he’s very motivated to do so.
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"He’s getting better every time. We are very thin in midfield, the coming games, we’re going to definitely need him and I think he’ll do well in the coming games."