Kobbie Mainoo among six losers as new Manchester United arrives under Ruben Amorim | OneFootball

Ruben Amorim has had more than his fair share of critics in his first 13 months in charge of Manchester United, and he is supposedly far from safe despite there being improvements this season. 

The under-fire boss deserves credit for ensuring Man Utd are in a better place than they were when he arrived, though this does not make up for the bleak mess of last season.

Their positive transfer business has contributed to their improvement, though they have been hamstrung by Amorim stubbornly refusing to waver from his flawed 3-4-3 formation.

So, it is refreshing that Amorim has made a U-turn on this stance, with the Man Utd boss trialling a 4-3-3 system in training to combat the absence of Bryan Mbeumo, Amad Diallo and Noussair Mazraoui during the African Cup of Nations. 

We were treated to a glimpse at what Amorim and his players have been working on against AFC Bournemouth on Monday night, with the head coach’s tweaks contributing to Man Utd’s best attacking display in the past year.

There were teething issues as Man Utd were woeful defensively, which is to be expected with Luke Shaw and Ayden Heaven as a makeshift centre-back partnership. But they will be far more solid once they have preferred options available, while Mbeumo, Diallo, Matheus Cunha, Mason Mount and co. can continue to flourish.

It is clear that Amorim’s squad is more suited to a four-man defence than his preferred system, and he should stick with this set-up for the long term, but there will be victims (six, to be exact) of these changes. Here are the expected losers as the new Man Utd arrives…

Patrick Dorgu

His underlying stats prove that he certainly is not the ‘dud’ he has been accused of being, but the more experienced Diogo Dalot – who is less suited to the wing-back role – has often been preferred on the left flank this season.

Dorgu definitely has the attributes to grow into a great player for Man Utd, but he is currently pretty raw, and Amorim’s move to a back four does not benefit him.

The 21-year-old is stronger in the attacking half than Dalot, but his teammate is more suited to playing as a traditional full-back, as he is more reliable in his own half. Therefore, he is likely to further cement himself on the left for as long as Amorim adopts a four-man defence.

He was Man Utd’s deepest midfielder after replacing Casemiro and, especially with his ball progression, did a fine job.

But Mainoo should not get too excited; he benefited from Man Utd needing to chase the game, and another natural No.6 would typically replace Casemiro, who is still preferred to play alongside the Englishman’s main rival, Bruno Fernandes.

So, with Manuel Ugarte or United’s next marquee signing to replace Casemiro, Amorim preferring Fernandes as his partner and with other No.10s also favoured, Mainoo’s situation is unlikely to change with his side’s formation, and he should still get himself a move in January.

Benjamin Sesko

United’s hit rate with their summer signings has been uncharacteristically high, with Sesko currently the only standout candidate to be a mega-flop as Mbeumo, Cunha and Senne Lammens impress.

It is no coincidence that the Red Devils’ best displays this season have come when Sesko has been missing from their forward line as Mbeumo and Cunha spearhead their attack.

As for Sesko, it is far too early to fully write him off, and he has the necessary natural attributes to eventually prove himself at Old Trafford, but, in the meantime, versatile attackers are needed for the best results in this fluid system.

Luke Shaw

Shaw’s ability to play at wing-back or as an inverted centre-back was expected to make him a big winner of the Amorim era, but this is not panning out.

It looks as if injuries have caught up with Shaw. So, Dalot remains the firm favourite to continue at left-back, while the England international has no chance of continuing at centre-back in a back four after Monday night either. There’s no wonder he’s among the five doomed Man Utd players in 2026.

Manuel Ugarte

A hallmark of Amorim’s reign at Man Utd has been his honesty and willingness to publicly criticise his players, with Ugarte recently being a victim of this policy.

Unlike the Man Utd youngsters needlessly caught in the crossfire, Ugarte has deserved all the criticism he’s received as the club’s £42m investment has proved massively misjudged.

Ugarte was once a favourite of Amorim, but he has been reduced to being a bit-part player under United’s boss and often makes his side worse when introduced. New system or not, he should be gone next year and be replaced by Carlos Baleba/Elliot Anderson.

Joshua Zirkzee

Reports suggest otherwise, but Zirkzee should be rueing missing out on a transfer in the summer. He had the opportunity to follow in rejuvenated Rasmus Hojlund’s footsteps in shining back in Italy but instead, he’s been left to rot on the United bench.

Zirkzee was better than Hojlund last season, but he is definitely stronger as a No.10 than a No.9 and is inferior to Man Utd’s other options, new and old, in the supporting role.

The best he can hope for is that his standing at Man Utd remains unchanged as Amorim’s changes, which do not benefit him at all, are implemented. His future clearly lies elsewhere.