Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim is finally seeing his “work pay off” after the performance of two players against Manchester City at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Ruben Amorim has faced a real challenge in navigating the remainder of Manchester United’s season after his arrival at Old Trafford from Sporting CP in 2024.
The 40-year-old United manager took his place in the Old Trafford dugout last November as the permanent replacement for Erik ten Hag at the Red Devils.
Erik ten Hag was sacked as Red Devils boss last October after United’s disastrous start to the 2024-25 Premier League season under the former Ajax manager.
Amorim wasted no time in imprinting his blueprint on the United first-team squad and the former Sporting CP rolled out a major shake-up to their playing style.
The United boss established a reputation for playing with a three-man backline in his native homeland with Sporting and Amorim has deployed his tactical system at United.
Amorim’s system has yielded a mixed set of results for the Red Devils and the Portuguese coach has been met with criticism at times over United’s performances.
The United manager has refused to pivot from his tactical system and continued to use it at Old Trafford, irrespective of the results or the players needed for it.
What Troy Deeney saw from Ruben Amorim’s tactical system for Man Utd vs Manchester City at Old Trafford in the Manchester derby
Manchester United and Manchester City played out a 0-0 draw in the final Manchester derby of the 2024-25 Premier League campaign at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils failed to capitalise on their chances and neither United nor City could break the deadlock in a lacklustre Premier League contest on Sunday afternoon.
Speaking on BBC’s Match of the Day 2, Troy Deeney suggested that Ruben Amorim’s system started to show results with Alejandro Garnacho’s performance for United.
“You are starting to see Amorim’s work pay off,” he said, as per the Metro.
“What Amorim wants from his 10s is them running behind the full-backs and the centre-backs.
“He could have gone on his left foot for the first effort and got his shot off.”
Troy Deeney’s assessment of Man Utd duo Alejandro Garnacho and Patrick Dorgu in Ruben Amorim’s tactical system vs Manchester City
Alejandro Garnacho was deployed as the left-sided No 10 in Amorim’s system and Patrick Dorgu was the wing-back, with both players seeing out the full 90 minutes.
Patrick Dorgu and Garnacho were both wasteful with their chances in the first half, but the two United players combined well out on the left against City at Old Trafford.
“He is switching play which is what Amorim wants,” Troy Deeney continued.
“His [Garnacho] willingness to run in behind is what United need going forward and this is what Amorim is talking about.”
Speaking on Dorgu and Garnacho, the BBC Sport pundit added: “But he is starting to build a nice connection down the left between Garnacho and Dorgu.”
United will return to action at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais in France on Thursday evening when they face Lyon for their first-leg Europa League quarter-final clash.
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