Ruben Amorim will only truly be able to prepare for his first game in charge of Manchester United later this week when the club’s raft of internationals begin to return to Carrington on Wednesday and Thursday.
As Amorim said himself in his first club interview as United head coach, he has only two full training sessions before the trip to Ipswich on Sunday, but he did guarantee that fans will at least “see an idea”.
That idea is likely to be the formation most familiar to Amorim. The 39-year-old is indelibly linked to a 3-4-3, and it’s unlikely he will deviate from that at United, even if it means a change in approach for most of his players. They will have to master the intricacies of that system very quickly.
United don’t have a like-for-like to slot in and play the same role as the Sweden international. Joshua Zirkzee is someone who likes to drop deep, but he could end up clogging that attacking midfield area if Amorim opts to play two No. 10s. Physically, it is Rasmus Hojlund who is perhaps most similar to Gyokeres, but he has struggled for form this season.
Instead, Amorim will be tempted to try Rashford through the middle. His pace offers a similar weapon to Gyokeres and he is an excellent runner with the ball. Playing as No. 9 without the presence of an inverted left-winger could also give the academy graduate more space to operate.
Speaking on The Overlap last year, Rashford said he favoured a left-wing role and felt it was harder to stay in the game as a striker, but in Amorim’s system, he might find the greater responsibility in that position helps him out.
“[I prefer to play] left-wing, although I feel like [when I play] centre forward you have less distance to cover to score simple goals,” he said.
“Whereas when you are on the left wing, if you are late sometimes making the back post is a 20-30 yard sprint. If the striker pulls to the back and you’ve got to go across the front, then it’s another 15 yards.
“I prefer the left, I feel like on the left it’s easier to stay in the game. From even when I was younger I always wanted to stay in the game, that’s why I think I struggle playing centre-forward sometimes because I struggle with patience.
“You might not touch the ball for twenty minutes and then your first touch might be an opportunity to score, you have to be mentally switched on and it’s almost like being a goalkeeper.
“You might not be involved in the game for god knows how long but when it’s time to make a save, they have to make it. “I never enjoyed that aspect of it but I feel as I’ve got older, I’m starting to enjoy it a lot more when I do play up there.”
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