Ruben Amorim looks set to become the new manager of Manchester United and this could bring drastic change to Old Trafford.
After more than two full seasons worth of evidence against Erik ten Hag, it was decided by Ineos that his position was simply untenable.
Manchester United announced on Monday that the Dutchman had been relieved of his duties and have moved swiftly to choose a successor.
With this in mind, it looks increasingly likely that it will be Sporting Lisbon’s Ruben Amorim who takes charge.
Amorim was grilled by journalists after his 3-1 win against Nacional on Tuesday night – while within the Jose Alvalade Stadium, he received a standing ovation.
Ruben Amorim will make one massive change at Old Trafford
So assuming Amorim is finalised, the style of football we hope he brings would differ greatly from the finished product of Ten Hag’s United.
One area of change we imagine will be defensive, as Amorim deploys a much higher defensive line than Ten Hag has been setting up.
We saw this in action after watching Sporting beat Nacional 3-1 on Tuesday night – in which the team in green and white-dominated while playing a high line.
Sporting has the fourth-highest defensive line in major European leagues since the start of 2023/24 – as Sky Sports presented.
- Man City – 46.70 metres
- Benfica – 46.20 metres
- Porto – 45.30 metres
- Sporting – 45.20 metres
- PSV – 44.90 metres
- Arsenal – 44.70 metres
In contrast to this, Ten Hag’s United sat 54th in the charts with an average defensive line of 41.70.
Such a drastic change could make central defenders like Harry Maguire, Jonny Evans and Victor Lindelof surplus to requirements as they do not have that turn of pace needed to cope with the threats a high line poses.
Leny Yoro could become a key fixture for Amorim
Having a high line will mean United need defenders who are capable of running and getting back quickly to avoid being caught out.
With this in mind, Leny Yoro could quite quickly become a key figure within Amorim’s plans, considering he is by far the most mobile defender United has.
Yoro should return from injury next month or early in December and upon that we imagine he will become an instant fixture for the new United manager – having not made a competitive appearance since his £52m move in July.
Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez would likely round out the back three he is likely to implement.
2025 should see United bolster this position with more mobile and versatile centre-backs who can fit perfectly under Amorim.
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