After a performance against Fulham that saw Manchester United revert to some of their bad habits of last season, an injection of some new blood is needed.
Man Utd fans have already seen what Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo can do, as they look like they’re on a different level compared to their teammates.
Benjamin Sesko has been given two appearances off the bench, but in a thankless job of trying to feed off scraps in a team that’s not clicking as yet.
It’s great timing, therefore, that Ruben Amorim can feasibly give debuts to two new signings for Man Utd’s next game.
Diego Leon can be joined by another debutant for Man Utd
Man Utd signed three players this summer, but four arrived, with Diego Leon’s move from Cerro Porteno sealed in January.
The Paraguayan made an instant impact in pre-season, earning praise from Ruben Amorim and setting himself up for a breakout campaign.
Patrick Dorgu was always going to be the first choice, but with a midweek game against Grimsby followed by a Saturday KO against Burnley, the stage is set for Leon’s debut.
Leon will get a proper “Welcome to English football” game against Grimsby at night in a cup game away at a smaller club, which is the best way to introduce him as a Man Utd player.
However, if the stars align, he won’t be the only Man Utd debutant against Grimsby.
United are also moving quickly on a deal for Senne Lammens, with the player dropped from Antwerp’s first XI for their recent game as his move gets closer.
Grimsby is a comparative soft landing for the 23-year-old Belgian, who will be walking into the most scrutinised position in English football, that of a Man Utd goalkeeper.
Amorim’s ideal scenario would be for Lammens to be signed in the next two days so he can play against Grimsby, and, form permitting, continue against Burnley.
Combined all of that with a first potential start for Benjamin Sesko in a United shirt, and that Grimsby fixture has all the makings of a must-watch affair.
Ruben Amorim needs two wins in the next two games
The Arsenal game was written off because the performance was so good, but also because United were always going to be judged this season against teams they are favourites against.
The stretch of Fulham-Grimsby-Burnley was the judgement stretch, with three wins from those three games securing Amorim’s future.
However, with a poor performance against Fulham and two dropped points, the Man Utd manager absolutely cannot afford not to win in the remaining two games.
That might hurt the chances of Leon and Lammens, since Amorim will be looking towards his first-choice team to get him a result against these two teams.
On the other hand, new blood in the team won’t have the scars of the Fulham performance, nor the wounds of last season, so that excitement could act as a soft relaunch of sorts this season.
Either way, debuts or not, the next two games are an absolute must-win for Amorim. His stock will rise further if he manages the selection well because the gap between the two isn’t much.
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
