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19 Mar, 2025
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Ruben Amorim is about to have six players fighting for two positions in his Manchester United XI
@Source: manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Provided Manchester United do not run into more injury concerns over the international break, the squad could have a reasonably healthy look about itself come next month's restart. United welcomed Mason Mount back into the equation at Leicester City on Sunday evening, naming him on the bench, and Ruben Amorim could have the likes of Harry Maguire, Leny Yoro, Luke Shaw and Kobbie Mainoo back available in the not too distant future. With United hoping to have at least five more games in the Europa League, in addition to the nine remaining Premier League fixtures they have left, Amorim is going to need as many options available to him as possible. The squad has been decimated by injuries in recent weeks, meaning it has become immensely stretched. As a result, several academy prospects have been promoted to the first-team fold ahead of schedule. But the hope is Amorim will be able to call upon more senior figures come the restart at the City Ground in just under a fortnight's time. He confirmed after the victory at Leicester that a crop of players will soon be back in contention, including Shaw, who has experienced another injury-hit campaign. Having as many bodies available as possible will boost United's chances of achieving their end-of-season goal: winning the Europa League. They could have another five games in the competition and competition for places within the squad is only a positive. Mount's return to the squad at the King Power Stadium offered United another option for the No.10 positions, with Amorim previously deploying the 26-year-old in that area prior to his injury. The United chief is a huge fan of Mount and is expected to use him regularly provided he can maintain his fitness and finally get his United career off the ground. However, Mount is not the only option Amorim can lean in to fill one of the two No.10 positions. Christian Eriksen and Alejandro Garnacho filled those berths against Leicester, supporting Rasmus Hojlund up front, and Garnacho joined the latter in ending his goal drought. Garnacho has slowly developed his understanding of the No.10 position amid his profile as a natural winger. Wingers no longer play their natural game in Amorim's 3-4-2-1 system, meaning Garnacho has been forced to get to grips with a new responsibility. Joshua Zirkzee has also been deployed as one of the two No.10s in recent weeks and that has had a very positive impact on his performance levels. His ability to find pockets of space and link the midfield and attack means the No.10 role suits him down to the ground. Regardless of whether he is a long term option or not for United, he has certainly played his way into Amorim's immediate plans. However, Mainoo's impending return from injury could see him replace Garnacho, Eriksen or Zirkzee. He produced his best performance of the season from the right-sided No.10 role against FCSB at the end of January, trading places with Bruno Fernandes, who dropped deeper to operate as one of the No.8s. That positional switch has taken Fernandes' performances levels up through the gears, with his recent attacking output speaking for itself. Of course, he can also play as a No.10, but he is currently offering far more as a No.8 than he had playing further forward earlier on in Amorim's tenure. Ultimately, once Mainoo is back from his injury and Mount is back up to speed, Amorim has those two, Fernandes, Eriksen, Garnacho and Zirkzee who are all viable options to start in the two No.10 positions. It is a luxury for any coach to have that many options, but finding the right balance and partnership can be challenging. But with United hoping to increase the number of games they have left in their season, they are going to need to have as many options available to them as possible. There may or may not be a right or wrong answer on who the two starting No.10s should be, and opinions will be split on who should be in the team, but that is a problem for Amorim to try and solve. But having such a luxury is not a scenario he is going to turn his nose up at.
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