Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Ruben Amorim, Manchester United, Arsenal, Premier League
Ryan Smart
Topics: Ruben Amorim, Manchester United, Arsenal, Premier League
Ruben Amorim has named four Manchester United players that he says have a 'time limit' after the 2-0 defeat to Arsenal.
Amorim suffered his first loss as United boss at the Emirates Stadium, with both of Arsenal's goals coming from set pieces in the second half of the contest.
The visitors competed well during the first half but Arsenal took control after the interval, and Mikel Arteta's side have moved to within seven points of leaders Liverpool with the win as a result.
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United, meanwhile, could drop to as low as 13th depending on Thursday's results - leaving Amorim with plenty of work still to do despite his encouraging start after replacing Erik ten Hag.
The 39-year-old made several changes ahead of the clash as he looked to rotate his squad, with Harry Maguire, Tyrell Malacia and Mason Mount coming in to the side following the 4-0 win over Leicester.
Amorim has utilised his whole squad during his four matches in charge, which also encompassed a 3-2 win over Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League.
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And he has now admitted, speaking after the Arsenal defeat, that part of his reasoning behind his squad rotation decisions is because four players cannot play more than a certain number of minutes.
He said: "It's not because I like to change all the time, but because I like to have all the squad fit.
"So for example, Harry Maguire has a time limit, Tyrell Malacia has a time limit, Mason Mount has a time limit, Leny Yoro has a real time limit.
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"We have to manage winning games, a different methodology, different way of playing, more metres to press. Tomorrow we have to assess the guys and if they have a little bit risk of injury, they will not play."
All four players have recently recovered from injury, with Yoro having been missing since pre-season after suffering a broken metatarsal.
Malacia, meanwhile, was making his first Premier League start since May 2023 after recovering from complications surrounding a knee injury.
Mount has been blighted by injury problems since his arrival at Old Trafford last summer, while Maguire was making his first start since coming back from a muscle injury suffered in October.