Manchester United are on the rise with a three game winning streak. The good times might be coming back.
Let’s delve into the big talking points around Manchester United during the midweek lull between games…
Manchester United’s best partnership could disappear
Ruben Amorim spoke excitedly after Manchester United’s enthralling 4-2 win over Brighton about the blossoming partnership between Bryan Mbeumo and Amad.
“It’s really hard to beat these two guys because they change position, they are really fast, they are good in one against one.”
Their connection is everything we hoped it would be, but there’s a worrying concern on the horizon: Mbeumo and Amad will both disappear to the African Cup of Nations in January and potentially early February.
While this is a little way off, it’s one I’m worried about. Noussair Mazraoui is also set to feature at the tournament.
Diogo Dalot can fill in at wing-back, but to me this is a clear downgrade based on the Portuguese star’s recent performances.
In attack, United may have to lean on a rusty Joshua Zirkzee to replace Mbeumo, potentially cancelling his hopes of a January exit. It’s not ideal.
We have plenty of Mbeumo and Amad to enjoy between now and the AFCON – but they are clearly going to be a huge miss when they depart.
Mason Mount deserves England recall, and he’s not the only one
United In Focus report Thomas Tuchel is considering recalling Mason Mount to the England squad.
It is a recall that would be richly deserved. Mason Mount has forced his way into Ruben Amorim’s plans with his quality on and off the ball, and his tactical versatility.
The issue with Mason Mount has never been about quality, it has always been about staying fit.
Mount’s recall for England would be totally deserved, and I would go as far to say that he should not be the only one.
Can you honestly say England have better defenders than Harry Maguire, who you would trust at the 2026 World Cup?
Luke Shaw is even mounting a case for inclusion too. He has got his act together lately, outstanding in the win over Brighton.
Refereeing is still appalling and could have cost Manchester United
Brighton came close to getting back into the game against Manchester United when they pulled a 3-0 advantage back to 3-2, before Bryan Mbeumo sealed the 4-2 win.
United should have been even further out of sight, and one of Brighton’s goals had an unfair advantage, after former referee Mark Clattenburg revealed two major errors.
Clattenburg told United In Focus how an officiating blunder saw Danny Welbeck score his free-kick for Brighton metres closer to the goal than where the foul took place.
He also picked out the ‘clear foul’ on Amad inside the penalty box inside the first half, adding that he was bemused how the incident was not spotted and sent to VAR.
Clattenburg is not the only one. 95 per cent of fans who voted in our website poll agreed the incident should have been a penalty.
United have been on the wrong end of several calls this season, including the bizarre incident where Brentford were not reduced to 10 men after a last-man foul.
I would like to see one or two go our way soon, but the real trick was clear against Brighton… score so many goals that refereeing decisions don’t matter.
Relying on them to go your way is dicey, even in the age of VAR. If you can score four goals each week, you should be fine, irrespective of refereeing calls.
Manchester United’s youth transfer plans are scaling up
It is good to see Manchester United continue to plan for the future with the recent move for Colombian wonderkid Cristian Orozco.
What is even more encouraging is that the talent-spotting duo of Jason Wilcox and Christopher Vivell are showing no signs of slowing down.
United In Focus reveal that the club are watching River Plate sensation Ian Subiabre, a recent star at the Under-20 World Cup.
Leicester City teenager Jeremy Monga is another being scouted. Swedish prospect Kevin Filling and Bosnia and Herzegovina whizkid Kerim Alajbegovic are all also being watched.
And United also have eyes at the upcoming FIFA Under-17s World Cup.
We saw summer addition Diego Leon score a solo wondergoal for United’s under-21s at the weekend, while Chido Obi netted in midweek.
With a more stable first team environment, it is only a matter of time before Ruben Amorim starts opening up the pathway from the academy to the youth team.
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