New Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim will take charge of his first match after the international break against Ipswich Town on November 25 (3:30am AEDT).
The current Sporting boss is set to shake things up upon his arrival at Old Trafford and one of his first port of calls will be the Red Devils’ line-up.
Amorim is renowned for playing a 3-4-3 formation that utilises attacking full-backs and a frontline that is more centrally positioned.
So what will that look like and which players are expected to start?
Former Premier League stars Michael Owen and Aaron Ramsey put a potential Manchester United line-up together on The Final Word on Optus Sport.
Goalkeeper: Andre Onana
One thing that will remain the same under Amorim, at least initially, will be Onana staying as their No.1 goalkeeper.
Onana has been one of the few Erik ten Hag signings that have managed to impress consistently at Old Trafford and he is clearly Amorim’s current best option between the sticks.
Defenders: Matthijs De Ligt – Leny Yoro – Lisandro Martinez
Amorim has consistently used a back three during his managerial career to date and that preference was reportedly one of the reasons why Liverpool opted against pursuing his services earlier this year.
The central position in the back three will be vital and both Ramsey and Owen believe 18-year-old Leny Yoro is primed to make it his own once recovered from injury.
“I think Yoro in the middle there, likes to progress with the ball and maybe come into the midfield line and break that initial press so he’d be the one more comfortable in doing that and driving forward,” Ramsey said.
Owen agreed and added that having aggressive defenders either side will be key too.
“I think that’s an important position because Amorim has got a reputation of that central player coming into the midfield so that central player has got to be decent on the ball,” Owen said.
“I think De Ligt and Martinez either side, they’re both aggressive defenders.
“If everyone’s fit, we think those are the three that they’ll go with.”
That notably leaves the likes of Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof and Jonny Evans relegated to the bench.
Midfielders: Diogo Dalot – Manuel Ugarte – Kobbie Mainoo – Luke Shaw
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