A quick look ahead to Manchester United’s winter schedule might not bear too much dread as United don’t have to navigate the Premier League fixture list on top of League Cup and/or European competitions
this year. While it delivers a big hit on the club’s revenue, it gives manager Ruben Amorim and his squad more rest to deal with the fixture list with a fairly thin squad.
That squad will be even thinner when Bryan Mbeumo, Amad and Noussair Mazraoui depart for the upcoming African Cup of Nations tournament which kicks off in late December.
The absence of Mbeumo and Amad will be particularly tough to handle. The pair have become invaluable to United’s recent success, and there is no clear like for like swap for either player at either position.
Still, they will have to cope regardless for potentially 3-4 weeks, and without short term solutions in January they will have to look in-house. Here are three options for papering over the holes that will be vacated by two of the club’s most talented attackers.
Dalot and Mount
The first option is the most straightforward one, although not the most certain considering both players have become regulars on the opposite side of the formation.
Mason Mount entered this season having earned Amorim’s favor. He had an impressive preseason playing in the No. 10 position and has earned a few starts when fit. More than that, he’s made a positive impact, and scored the opening goal of the current winning run against Sunderland at the start of October.
Mount has played on either wing in his career for Chelsea, United and England, and though he has mostly played on the left for Amorim, he is more than capable on either flank.
Mount could be joined by Dalot, a natural right back, although there is the issue of width. Dalot likes to invert and Mount isn’t much of a winger, meaning they would have to stress themselves to get into the positions that Amorim asks of his wide players. Neither is particularly prolific or offers game-changing creativity, but they’re both very serviceable so long as the left wing picks up some of the creative burden.
Dorgu and Mainoo
This is another pairing that doesn’t fit naturally into either position, but may have to make do.
This is also a pairing of players who are looking for an opportunity to seize a place in the XI.
Patrick Dorgu was signed as a left back, and has mostly played on the left, but again is capable of playing on either side and is pretty two-footed. Like Dalot, he hasn’t been the most creative player for United, but he gets forward and he pushes the ball forward as well, whether at his feet or playing it to a teammate. The accuracy and usefulness of those passes has often left a lot to be desired, but he is a young player who needs his chances to improve.
Mainoo has played in quite a few positions under Amorim, and though the manager sees him as a Bruno understudy in the midfield two, he is capable of playing forward. With the club shorthanded close to the new year, perhaps he will get another shot at playing in a more advanced role, offering midfield support and assisting in ferrying possession forward.
He also has a knack for finding a good shot, although that has often come more from left of center rather than to the right.
Cunha swap or Zirkzee revival
A more obvious solution could simply be switching Matheus Cunha to the right side and put Mount back in on the left. It might be useful to experiment with the Brazilian across the front three anyway as he continues to settle in. His work rate and creativity have shown up even when he hadn’t scored yet, both at the 10 and at striker.
The other option here, a Joshua Zirkzee reintroduction, would offer a unique blend of size and technical ability to the front three alongside Sesko. Zirkzee is not much of a goalscorer, but he is very creative and keen on combining with teammates. He wouldn’t offer much by way of speed in springing opportunities to exploit space, but he might offer some calm in possession and creative magic in breaking down teams like Wolves, whom United have to play twice this winter.
Of course, Zirkzee would require a wing-back partner to take care of the wide demands of Amorim’s setup, which remains the biggest issue with all of these options.
Bruno back up front
In Mbeumo’s absence, it may be time to reintroduce Bruno Fernandes to the front three. He is still a dynamic playmaker and loves connecting the midfield to the forwards when getting the ball up the pitch, but it’s clear that Amorim doesn’t trust the alternative options in midfield behind him.
Manuel Ugarte and Kobbie Mainoo have both struggled to make a positive impact late in games as members of the midfield duo, and Bruno remains the only quality ball progressor in midfield.
