Provided he makes it the entire way through without getting sacked, this will be the first full season in charge at Manchester United, for Ruben Amorim. He is really putting his stamp on the team now, bringing in more players who are better suited towards doing the things that he wants to do. And the guys who don’t fit his systems and his ambitions, they were left behind on the pre-season tour. You either get with the program, or you are cast out.
“I feel like at the end of the day, the manager has to do that because at the end of the day, he’s going to be the one that his job is always on the line,” said Luke Shaw, the longest serving player at United.
“He wants to come in and do exactly what he wants because he’s always the one who’s on the end of the stick. He wants to come in and do things his own way and stamp his own authority on the club. I think that’s the only way you can do it, especially at Man United.”
Shaw gave a very candid, wide-ranging interview in Chicago, ahead of the penultimate match on their USA preseason tour. During the session, Shaw discussed how awful last season was, when United finished with their worst ever place (15th) in the Premier League era.
“I think we have to be open and honest about that,” Shaw said.
“I think none of us were good enough. I think there always has to be that question about what we think and what’s our plans for the next season…I think I had such an awful year as well…I was just fully angry about everything.”
Well, it’s time to put that awful season in the rearview. The time has come to channel that anger into getting better results this season.
The season opener, with Arsenal coming to Old Trafford, is exactly one week away.
So with that in mind, let’s look at what the strongest possible United first team, provided everyone is fit and available, might be this season.
Attack: Matheus Cunha, Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo
Money talks here- £62.5 million for Cunha, £71m for Mbeumo and £73.7m for Sesko. That’s more than 208m GBP for the trio. Sir Jim Ratcliffe didn’t splash the cash on these guys to have them come off the bench.
Sesko starts in the central role, therefore demoting Rasmus Hojlund to bench. And that makes Joshua Zirkzee the third string center forward. Chido Obi could see some playing time in cup competition. Cunha and Mbeumo are your two starting No. 10s, and they’ll be backed up by…some of the cast out players?
If they can’t move on Jadon Sancho, Alejandro Garnacho and Antony this summer (and that has proven to be kind of challenging, to say the least), do these guys come back into the team?
Albeit in a much lesser role?
Midfield: Amad Diallo, Bruno Fernandes, Kobbie Mainoo, Patrick Dorgu
Bruno is the proverbial “face of the franchise” so he is arguably the first name on the team sheet, every night. Amad was the team’s purest scorer and arguably the best overall player last season. Dorgu, the only January transfer window pick-up, is a perfect fit for the 3-4-3 that Amorim runs. He is close to “un-droppable” right now.
So who takes the final middle of the park role? They need someone who can truly provide service, which was one of the side’s biggest weaknesses last term.
United probably should have signed a holding midfielder this summer. Maybe they still will?
We’ll go with Mainoo, for now, even though he’s been injury-prone lately, and suffered a drop in form. Why? He was arguably the best overall player on the team, just two years ago. It won’t be Casemiro, that’s for sure.
Maybe Mason Mount? We’ll see. Manuel Ugarte will certainly play a lot in the middle, with Diogo Dalot set to see some minutes on the wing. Toby Collyer could see minutes in cup competition.
Defense: Leny Yoro, Lisandro Martinez, Luke Shaw
Lucha is the team’s best overall central defender, when fit, but unfortunately, that hasn’t happened much lately. Yoro is probably the most talented defender in the squad. And Amorim was clear that Shaw has competition this season for his position.
However, we think he gets the first team nod for now. Ayden Heaven, Noussair Mazraoui, Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt will all get major minutes too. Dalot can be shifted back here, if needs be, as well. We might also see appearances from Tyler Fredericson, Harry Amass and newcomer Diego Leon as well.
Goalkeeper: Andre Onana
Onana flopped during his first season at Old Trafford. Maybe year two will be better? The gig is his, once he heals up from his hamstring injury. Altay Bayindir is the No. 2 while Tom Heaton should be the third string.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter