Louis van Gaal tried surprise role for ‘pit bull’ Man Utd star, it’s a very useful fit for Ruben Amorim

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Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has plenty to consider as he prepares to for his first game as Red Devils boss.

Ruben Amorim’s three at the back system is one which may suit Manchester United’s plethora of centre-backs.

Leny Yoro, Lisandro Martinez, Harry Maguire, Matthijs de Ligt, Victor Lindelof, Jonny Evans are all options, while Luke Shaw could shift into the centre-back position too.

There are also young talents coming through the academy too, with Louis Jackson, Jack Kingdon, Tyler Fredricson, Godwill Kukonki and Daniel Armer among the talented young centre-backs in the academy.

There is another player who might even be thrown into the mix too, having been used there at international level.

Tyrell Malacia is United’s wildcard

Manchester United’s wildcard player this season is Tyrell Malacia, who has not played a competitive game since April 2023.

18 months of injury hell ended for Malacia when he played an under-21 game last week, and United plan to take it steady with him.

Signing another left-back is United’s plan for January, a key priority, unable to rely on Malacia or Shaw. Yet the Dutchman can provide cover at centre-back too.

This versatility could help the defender prove his value, also able to fill in at right-back, having done so under Erik ten Hag.

Playing at centre-back may even be a less intensive way to use Malacia if United tried it out, rather than flying up and down the flank at wing-back.

Louis van Gaal tried it

Former Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal has already plotted the way forward, utilizing Tyrell Malacia at centre-back in his three-man defence for the Netherlands.

Speaking in 2022, Van Gaal told ESPN: “I put Malacia in the left centre-back role because Martins Indi is not going to make it to the World Cup squad in time due to injury. I have to look at other players who can play there and I wanted to see what Malacia could do.

“I put him on the left of the central defence because De Bruyne played a lot on that side. It’s better to have a pit bull like that instead of someone like Blind who tries to solve it tactically.”

There is currently an open question over how Ruben Amorim will select his wing-backs.

Will he prefer the duo of Noussair Mazraoui and Diogo Dalot, or will he utilize an attacking player in one of the positions, even daring to try Alejandro Garnacho or Antony there?

That’s where an aggressive proactive defender like Malacia roaming as part of a back three could come in and be useful.

Ruben Amorim has lots of different options, and Malacia will be somewhere down the list at centre-back – but keep alive the possibility of the Dutchman popping up in the position between now and the end of 2025.