Sport

Manchester United’s dire need of midfield signings

Manchester United are finally making progress under Ruben Amorim. The problem is, his initial struggles after arriving from Sporting Club last season have had a lasting impact on the disparity between the Red Devils and those they should be competing with for Champions League qualification and, ideally, the Premier League title.

Amorim is undoubtedly a talented coach. The way he transformed Sporting to make them the team to beat in Portugal, after lagging behind city rivals Benfica and Porto for what felt like decades proves as much. Not only is the Premier League a completely different challenge, and United uniquely difficult within that space too, but Amorim’s philosophy in steadfastly sticking to his 3-4-3 system has further complicated matters.

That debate itself isn’t straightforward, though; in effect, Amorim has been appointed because of that system, it has worked for him before and it would feel alien for him to abandon it for short term gain. Success doesn’t come purely from results, it comes from culture, identity and a collective understanding, all things United have badly lacked in the 12 years since Sir Alex Ferguson retired and they lifted the last of their 20 titles.

If Amorim is the man, surely he needs to be backed in the right way, and to his credit, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the club’s minority owner in charge of football operations, says he deserves three years to get it right. But results are what dictate the discourse; even though things are going better this season, the draw with West Ham proved they are a long way from where they need to be.

There are reasons to be optimistic; Bryan Mbeumo has made a strong impact since arriving from Brentford, and he has added dynamism to the front three, which is a crucial part of Amorim’s tactical set up. The two who flank the main striker are not wide players – the width comes from wingbacks – but rather number 10s, which is a position that is mainly obsolete in the modern game. Mbeumo has adapted well having established himself as an inverted winger. Matheus Cunha made similar sense when he arrived from Wolves and he too has done well; Benjamin Sesko has struggled to establish himself as the third major big summer signing.

Although Rasmus Hojlund being surplus to requirements meant a striker was always a likely recruit, critics suggested a midfielder should have taken precedence, and this is the area that is perhaps both most crucial to Amorim’s system working and where most of the issues are stemming from. Because there are only two in the middle while most others play with three, energy and discipline are the most important to cover the ground and keep the team effective defensively and in attack. Because Bruno Fernandes, the club captain, is not suited to one of the advanced roles, he plays in that two, but it stifles his creativity. Although Casemiro has improved this season after a tough couple of years, it is undeniable that he is past his best.

Amorim can only work with what he has at his disposal and for different reasons, a number of his options are not ideal. Mason Mount prefers to be more advanced, while Manuel Ugarte has been struggling to establish himself despite playing under Amorim at Sporting. There was criticism of his decision not to play Kobbie Mainoo, who seems to be best suited.

A lot of midfielders will be linked in January, with Brighton’s Carlos Baleba and Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson among reported targets. What United need is obvious, but even if one arrives, it may not be enough to solve all their issues, but will be a start.