Man United’s best XI to deal with AFCON and Bruno Fernandes’ injury | OneFootball

Doomsday.

Manchester United are set to traverse the draining winter period of the English football calendar without four of their most important players. And their absence may as well make them the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse for United’s season if Ruben Amorim is unable to effectively reconstruct his starting eleven in their absence.

The Portuguese coach’s entire right-hand side, comprising Noussair Mazraoui, Amad and Bryan Mbeumo, has been transplanted from Manchester to Morocco with all three representing their countries at the African Cup of Nations, running from December 21 until January 18.

But then in the first game sans their right-sided trio — the 2-1 loss to Aston Villa last week — Amorim then lost his right-hand man to injury in a heart-breaking twist.

Bruno Fernandes is so rarely absent that the sight of him being substituted almost beggared belief. But a muscle problem forced the United captain and talisman off the pitch at Villa Park at half time after pulling up just before the interval.

He is not expected to return until the Manchester Derby on January 17, one day before the final of AFCON.

This means Amorim will be forced to play the next six games without some of his key lieutenants, including tonight’s crucial Premier League clash with Newcastle at Old Trafford and the FA Cup Third Round tie against Brighton & Hove Albion.

The nature of tournament football means it would be impossible for all three of the Afgoners to make the final on January 18, given Mazraoui represents the home nation Morocco, Amad the Ivory Coast, and Mbeumo for Cameroon.

But all three countries are strong contenders with previous success in AFCON. Morocco are pre-tournament favourites and Ivory Coast the current holders, while Camerooon are the second most successful nation in the tournament’s history.

United would be lucky to see any one of them return before the quarter-final stage in the second week of January, though the chaotic nature of Cameroon’s preparation makes Mbeumo the most likely candidate for an early flight back to Manchester.

So, for the next few weeks at least, Amorim is without his first-choice right centre-back, right wing-back, right-sided No 10 and the creative heartbeat of his midfield, during a period where United’s hopes in the FA Cup and chances of securing European football in the league will be largely defined.

Doomsday indeed.

But the 40-year-old coach has spoken of his excitement at the challenge of navigating this, describing the remaining squad as “more than ready” to adapt to the challenge. There has even been suggestion he may shift from his trademark 3-4-2-1 system to do so.

This would be a mistake, however, given the best starting eleven at Amorim’s disposal for the winter period is, in fact, precisely in the system that so many United fans have been desperate to see adapted.

Let me explain.

Stick or Twist

Amorim has been trialling a 4-3-3 set-up in training recently as preparation for the loss of the Afgoners. But it’s an odd response, given United are losing their two best wingers and a defender whose spent almost his entire career playing as a traditional right-back.

The Red Devils made advances towards signing Antoine Semenyo in January, with suggestions a change in shape would be enacted to facilitate the AFC Bournemouth winger.

If, hypothetically, Semenyo were to be added to an attack with Mbeumo and Amad in it, while Mazraoui marshals a defence from his favoured spot, a 4-3-3 seems like the perfect switch for Amorim to make, given how much it would suit others players in the squad — no one more than the also absent Fernandes.

But without the only two natural wide players, and the club’s best fullback and attacking midfielder, or the addition of a new winger, it is illogical to move away from a system that does not require wingers or fullbacks.

If anything, this is the first time since Amorim’s arrival to the club that a 3-4-2-1 is actually the most suitable system for the current selection of players, given the Elves still stranded at Old Trafford over Christmas.

Goalkeeper

The easiest pick of the bunch.

Senne Lammens has proven something of a revelation since being handed the starting berth by Amorim in October, a staggered introduction following his £18.1 million move from Royal Antwerp in the summer.

He has not produced spectacular reflexes or eye-catching distribution, but he has been supremely solid, demonstrating the type of goalkeeping fundamentals that United have sorely lacked in recent years with his incompetent predecessors, Andre Onana and Altay Bayindir

Regardless of the system the Belgium international plays behind, he will be starting in goal for the remainder of the season — and beyond.

Lammens

Defence

The strongest case for a shift to a back four, given each of the options in Amorim’s defence would most likely prefer that set-up. A backline of — Diogo Dalot, Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt, Luke Shaw — looks excellent, with players like Lisandro Martinez and Patrick Dorgu able to easily slot in as well.

But the lack of wingers ahead of them would make the team too narrow and removes any threat out wide, so this must be maintained with wing-backs.

Dalot has shown better attacking output in recent weeks, and the return of Martinez from his long-term injury would allow Amorim to play Shaw there, rather than Dorgu, who does not carry the same attacking capability as his English teammate.

De Ligt and Maguire have been out with their own injuries recently, but both are expected to return imminently. This will bring some much-needed experience to a defence that has suffered in their absence.

Yoro has struggled this season and could benefit from the temporary relief of the bench, before being reintroduced to hopefully return to his previous excellent levels last year. The defence will be built around the French starlet in years to come, regardless of the system in place.

   Yoro        De Ligt       Martinez

  Dalot                                                        Shaw

Midfield

The loss of Fernandes ripples across the entire pitch given how vital the Portugal international’s influence is on and off it. But the only positive is that gives Kobbie Mainoo the opportunity to stake a claim in the team.

The 20-year-old has been firmly relegated to the bench this season with Amorim seeing him as a director competitor for the No 8 role with Fernandes — a fight with only one winner.

Mainoo was expected to push for a loan move in January. But the unexpected absence of his captain should see him reintegrated into the starting eleven, once he has recovered from his own minor injury.

The English starlet will be joined into the double pivot by Casemiro, with the Brazilian behemoth having enjoyed something of a renaissance since Amorim’s arrival last November.

Manuel Ugarte is another possibility in midfield. But the Uruguayan has been woeful this season and should Amorim opt for him over Mainoo, the former Sporting duo should be shown the exit door at Old Trafford in a two-for-one deal.

Ugarte is on the naughty list and must be sold as soon as a suitable buyer presents.

Lisandro Martinez made a surprise cameo in midfield against Aston Villa, with both Fernandes and Mainoo absent through injury, and impressed in the unfamiliar role. But the Argentina international is needed in central defence and should be played deeper with more natural options ahead of him.

   Casemiro       Mainoo 

Attack

The loss of Mbeumo — United’s top scorer and best forward this season — will be felt acutely.

But Matheus Cunha’s influence in the team is rising, having either scored or assisted in his last three games. Mbeumo and Fernandes’s absence presents the Brazilian with the stage to become United’s attacking orchestrator over the winter period.

He should be joined in the front free by Slovenian striker Benjamin Sesko, who is fit now after a spell on the side lines with injury (and a dose of food poisoning thrown in), and Amorim’s acolyte, Mason Mount.

Both Cunha and Mount do their best work in the half-spaces between midfield and attack, and the wing and the centre of the pitch — the exact areas the 3-4-2-1 system places them in. Neither would be as effective when deployed wider as a winger, which is precisely why it would be a mistake to shift towards a 4-3-3.

Given Mbeumo has always taken the right-hand side this season, Mount and Cunha have only really played on the opposite flank.

In this new set up, Cunha should be switched over to the right with Mount remaining on the left. This would enable United to fall back into the 4-4-2 shape they have often lined up in without the ball this season, with Cunha pushing up alongside Sesko and Mount tucking into the left side of midfield.

Sesko is a classic No 9 and, accordingly, would be effective in either system, despite having endured a relatively ineffective start to life at Old Trafford following his £74m switch from RB Leipzig in the summer.

But United have dramatically increased the amount of crosses they are delivering into the box in Sesko’s absence — and the 6’5 frontman should feast on these chances with his outstanding leap and aerial ability.

Cunha                   Mount

Sesko

The New Line Up

These (relatively) minor tweaks leaves us with a starting eleven well-suited to the 3-4-2-1 system they have been religiously practising as Amorim’s zealots over the past year, rather than in an ill-fitting  4-3-3 which could cause a crisis of faith.

It’s a set up which may just avoid Doomsday at the Theatre of Dreams.

 Lammens 

     Yoro          De Ligt       Martinez

  Dalot           Casemiro          Mainoo           Shaw

  Cunha                   Mount

  Sesko

A 4-3-3, or even a 4-2-3-1, are definitely options for the long-term at Old Trafford.

But for a month without four of your best players, including the two best wingers, the best No 10 and the best right-back, it makes little sense to trial a system which relies so heavily on each of those positions.

Featured image Carl Recine via Getty Images

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