The managerial rumours have been put to rest with Ruben Amorim arriving at Manchester United but at a club this size, the search for “next” never stops.
The “next” in this case is more than just how he gets on in the next few months as Man Utd manager, it is about how the team shapes up for him.
Ruben Amorim recently hinted he knows how he’ll set his team up at the start and if that’s any indicator, the Man Utd squad is set to face challenges it has never faced before.
Consequently, there will be a need to dip their toes into the transfer market where Ineos‘ new-look executive structure did a great job the first time out.
There might not be many signings in January, but Ruben Amorim has already identified his first target and he is the pinnacle of leadership.
Ruben Amorim’s first Man Utd signing?
Right off the bat, there is a clear gaping hole in the current squad at the wingback position if Amorim persists with this 3-4-3 setup at Old Trafford.
Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui are perfectly functional on either side as fullbacks but wingback is a specialist role that requires dynamism on both ends of the pitch.
Therefore, it’s likely that they become each others’ competitors, and even stints as the right-sided centre-back can’t be ruled out.
And that’s not even saying anything about the left-wingback spot where United have two perenially injured players who can’t be relied upon consistently.
Considering all those circumstances, it is not surprising that Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport reports Amorim is targeting Juventus and Brazil national team captain, Danilo as his first signing.
At 33, he might not be the ideal Ineos signing but with his contract expiring in the summer, he can inject some leadership and experience into a team that is young.
Alejandro Garnacho getting affected by some fans resulting in him not celebrating his screamer vs Leicester is just one aspect that became public of how important mentoring is for young players.
Amorim is also just 39 so with Danilo, not only will a problem position be addressed, it will add much-needed experience at little to no cost.
Targeting Danilo hints at Ruben Amorim’s Man Utd tactics
Danilo is predominantly a right-back by trade but with age, he has added many more skills to his arsenal to make him a versatile player positionally.
He has prior experience of playing in a three-at-the-back formation at Juventus and most importantly, he can play as a right-sided centre-back, a right-back, and right-wingback.
If United are indeed interested in Danilo, it provides a clear hint that the club under the new manager will be targeting players who are versatile and can play across multiple positions.
That skill provides tactical flexibility to the manager and Amorim might well need that since he’s transitioning to a system that United have never consistently used before outside of a spell under Louis van Gaal when his team was busy putting supporters to sleep every game.
Amorim is synonymous with this back three but the formation is the least important part of the tactic since the player roles is what decide the tactical structure.
That has kept changing under Amorim as he has evolved his style as per his players. For example, he added directness to the team when Viktor Gyokeres arrived which unleashed the Swede.
Danilo’s signing will allow him to do that at United because of his ability to play multiple positions and switch roles during the game.
It is just a rumour at this point but it will be worth keeping track of the kind of players United get concretely linked with.
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