Oliver Glasner’s dream Man Utd XI for 2026-27: Formation switch, no Fernandes… | OneFootball

Oliver Glasner is reportedly a prime candidate to be appointed the next Manchester United manager after announcing his intention to leave Crystal Palace in the summer.

The Independent‘s chief sports writer Miguel Delaney states that the Manchester United hierarchy “have identified Glasner as the top candidate”.

The appointment would tick a lot of boxes. It’s expected that United will appoint a caretaker until the end of the 2025-26 campaign, by which point Glasner – who is proven in the Premier League and has established himself as one of the country’s most in-demand coaches – will be out of contract and available.

Glasner has got far more success out of the same formation that Amorim was devoutly dedicated to, but he’s not necessarily wedded to that shape.

“The system? It must fit the players,” the Austrian told Sky Sports earlier this season.

“There is too much discussion about the system. The system is not important. Habits are important, the patterns and how you want your players to behave on the pitch. That is much more important.

“In my career I have played every single system. got promoted in Austria with a 4-4-2, then we switched to a 3-4-3. In Wolfsburg, we reached the Champions League with a 4-2-3-1. In Frankfurt, they played with three at the back before and it fit the squad.

“I always look at what system might suit the players we have best. My favourite system is 4-4-2 but do we have the right players for this? We are talking much more about our habits than the system. The system is very fluid.

“It’s important the players know what we want to do and this is what decides about being successful or not.”

Given Amorim’s struggles with getting results out of a 3-4-2-1 formation with the players at Manchester United, you can imagine that he’d try something different were he appointed.

Here’s how we imagine that United might line up with Glasner in the dugout – using his favoured 4-4-2 formation.

GK: Senne Lammens

While there’ll be the awkward return of the out-of-favour Andre Onana to his parent club this summer, Lammens will remain the best goalkeeper option available.

Manchester United’s defensive record with the Belgian between the sticks is far from spectacular, but gone are the days of worry over what goalkeeping howler will be made next.

Unless United are to sign one of the very best goalkeepers in the world, which we don’t see happening, Lammens will keep his spot until he does something to stop deserving it.

RB: Noussair Mazraoui

Injuries have reduced the Morocco international to a fringe role in 2025-26 so far, but even amid United’s well-publicised struggles he showed plenty of promise in his debut season.

To our eyes, he looks more of a traditional full-back than a natural fit in a back three or as a wing-back.

The obvious candidate to fulfil this role for years to come if – as we expect – United are return to a standard back four.

CB: Matthijs De Ligt

The fact that both Juventus and Bayern Munich were happy to let him go, not least his presence at the scene of the crime in many a Manchester United defensive mishap, raises some alarm bells.

Still, there’s little question that De Ligt possesses quality. You could easily imagine him coming good in a more functional system.

The experienced centre-back could be Glasner’s answer to Marc Guehi as a dependable organiser at the back.

Whether it’s Glasner in the dugout or somebody else, De Ligt will continue his remarkable record of having a new manager at the start of every season of his career as a professional footballer.

CB: Lisandro Martinez

De Ligt and Martinez seems like the most obvious centre-back pairing if United move away from a back three. They both have the requisite experience and their profiles are theoretically nicely complementary.

Amorim actually had a decent record on the rare occasions that the two were fit and available, although their record together in a back four in the final days of Erik ten Hag’s reign was decidedly sketchier.

Rising stars Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven would provide sufficient cover, but you imagine Harry Maguire’s days are numbered.

Ol’ slabhead’s contract expires at the end of this season. Being rid of his wages will allow them some wiggle room to invest elsewhere.

LB: Patrick Dorgu

While the recruitment was muddled and Amorim can not unjustifiably argue that he wasn’t given sufficient backing to make his highly specific 3-4-3 system a success, the club have – by and large – avoided the same pratfalls of building a hodge-podge squad built in the image of a succession of very different managers.

Most of Amorim’s signings should suit another formation just as ably, but Dorgu is probably the closest thing that United made to a ‘system signing’ under Amorim.

You imagine that the Denmark international is feeling pretty uncertain about his long-term future at Old Trafford right now. But he might be the closest thing that United have to a dependable left-back, given Luke Shaw’s advancing years.

Used primarily as a wingback, and even a makeshift forward amid their AFCON-hit selection issues, Dorgu deserves a chance to show he can play as a classic left-back.

We should find out the answer, one way or another, by the time United get around to appointing their next permanent coach in the summer.

FWR: Amad Diallo

Enough of the wingback nonsense.

Diallo did his best, was sometimes pretty effective, but the Ivorian is best unshackled. That’s a proper winger if we’ve ever seen one.

CM: Carlos Baleba

We’ve been reluctant to speculate too much on transfers here, but you imagine the United board will back their new man with a marquee signing or two.

After bolstering the attack with £200million worth of reinforcements last summer, it looks as though the creaking midfield will be the next port of call in the grand rebuild. Replacing Casemiro will surely be their top priority in the transfer market.

Baleba’s stock has fallen a bit in a not especially glowing campaign for Brighton, but he remains a quality prospect. We fully expect United to revisit this one.

CM: Adam Wharton

You might notice the lack of Bruno Fernandes’ name here.

That could well be a defining early decision for Glasner, should he take over. The long-serving captain, by some distance United’s best and most creative player, was reportedly convinced to turn down Saudi riches by Amorim last summer.

Fernandes recently hinted at being unhappy in Manchester, and now his Portuguese compatriot – with whom he’s understood to have had a close relationship – has been booted, will he really stick around for the next project?

Cashing in could suit United, too. He’s their most lucrative asset, and turns 32 later this year. Selling him to a Saudi Pro League club would help fund a much-needed wholesale rebuild, with the Casemiro-Ugarte axis proving unfit for purpose.

As well as reporting that United are after Glasner, The Independent’s Miguel Delaney has previously reported that the club want both Baleba and Wharton. If the club are to sign two £100million midfielders in one summer, they’ll need to cash in elsewhere.

A Fernandes exit would be painful, but it might just be necessary to kick off a new era. United’s midfield has lacked balance for a long, long time. The excellent Wharton would certainly bring that.

Kobbie Mainoo also has no place in this particular XI, but we imagine the Carrington graduate would have a much more prominent role under Glasner than the last guy.

He could feature alongside either Wharton or Baleba in a midfield two, or further ahead of both in a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1.

FWL: Bryan Mbeumo

A left footer on the left wing? Call us old-fashioned, but it just might work.

While the vast majority of the Cameroon international’s appearances to date have been on the right or through the middle, he’s demonstrated a useful versatility and willingness to adapt to whatever role’s asked of him.

There are three other roles in this teamsheet that Mbeumo would arguably be more suitable for, but he filled in on occasion on the left at Brentford.

]

SS: Matheus Cunha

Reprising his natural second striker role, where he produced the best football of his career at Wolves, the Brazilian attacker has put in some good displays for United, which has begun to bring goals and assists.

His first goal came in his eighth game and he’s since added three more and an assist, after he notched 15 goals and six assists playing off a big, physical centre-forward in Jorgen Strand Larsen at Wolves.

Replicate that formula at Old Trafford and it might see him further improve his attacking returns.

ST: Benjamin Sesko

Granted, Sesko has not been great after his £65million summer transfer, but that fee is too high for United to start thinking about cutting their losses just yet. They need to make this work – or at least try.

We have our reservations that Sesko can become the clinical Erling Haaland-esque battering ram that United are crying out for, but the raw elements are there.

Glasner worked wonders to sculpt Jean-Philippe Mateta into a diamond – might he do the same for the Slovenian?