It feels as if every decision being made by Ruben Amorim at Manchester United is coming back to bite him, with the Portuguese coach in grave danger of becoming the latest casualty of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.
Scrutiny surrounds his persistence with the 3-4-3 system at Old Trafford, although his selection decisions have also been put under the microscope – not least selecting a goalkeeper in Altay Bayindir who now ranks among the bottom 3% of his Premier League peers for save percentage, as per FBref.
Elsewhere, meanwhile, the club’s summer business is also now being picked apart – perhaps with an element of hindsight – with numerous figures beginning to catch fire in their new surroundings.
Indeed, Antony has picked up where he left off at Real Betis last term, after notably registering a goal and an assist against Nottingham Forest last month, while Alejandro Garnacho played his part in Chelsea’s opener in the 1-0 win over Benfica in midweek.
Fellow ‘bomb squad’ member Marcus Rashford, too, was in the headlines following his Champions League display for Barcelona, with ex-teammate Rasmus Hojlund has also proving the doubters wrong with his own swift start in Naples.
Hojlund & Rashford's fine start to the season
One misdemeanour too many proved the end of Rashford’s relationship with Amorim back in December, with the 27-year-old having not been seen in a United shirt since trudging off away at Viktoria Plzen, prior to his exclusion from the Manchester derby.
Shipped off to Aston Villa in January, before sealing a dream move to Barcelona over the summer, the high-profile forward has begun to find his groove away from the bright lights of Old Trafford, amid what has been a particularly encouraging few weeks in Catalonia.
A breathtaking brace against Newcastle United stands out as the obvious high point, although Rashford’s sublime assist for Ferran Torres on Wednesday night ensured he now boasts seven goal involvements in just nine games for his new side.
Elsewhere on the continental stage, Hojlund showcased that he’s doing his best to follow in Scott McTominay’s footsteps at Napoli, having twice combined with Kevin De Bruyne to help steer the Serie A outfit to a 2-1 win over Sporting CP in midweek.
Much like his first goal for the Italian champions against Fiorentina, the Dane’s first of the night was him at his best, tearing away from defenders on the break, before coolly converting.
With three goals from just five games under Antonio Conte, the 22-year-old already has the edge on his Old Trafford replacement, Benjamin Sesko, with that likely to be a long-running comparison this season between the two young strikers.
Rightly or wrongly, neither Hojlund nor Rashford are part of the set-up now under Amorim, with it looking unlikely that either figure will be turning out for United again – not least with Napoli and Barcelona holding an obligation and option to buy the pair, respectively.
Those two are then figures of the past, with United needing to instead look to the future.
How Rashford & Hojlund's market values compare
“The soul has gone from the club”.
Those words from Wayne Rooney perhaps summarise the situation best right now.
What is there to get behind at Manchester United? The winning formula has been deserted. The style of play is tentative and timid. Every news story emerging from the club appears to be one of doom and gloom, be it talk of more redundancies or discussion of financial losses.
The essence of United appears to be being lost, not least amid Amorim’s hesitation to turn toward the academy, with his tenure – unlike those before him – yet to see the rise of a standout youth product.
Under David Moyes, there was Adnan Januzaj. Under Louis van Gaal, there was Rashford. Under Jose Mourinho, there was McTominay. Under Erik ten Hag, there was the FA Cup final-winning duo of Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo.
Amorim – despite a brief period in the side for Chido Obi – has yet to truly follow suit, with his treatment of Mainoo also bordering on a sackable offence to some.
Previously the star of Ten Hag’s final season, and a vital part of England’s Euro 2024 surge, the 20-year-old has now drifted to the periphery, yet to even start a league game this term despite the ongoing midfield woes.
Tipped to depart on loan or even permanently over the summer, the Stockport native is bizarrely being overlooked by the Portuguese coach, even despite looking like a “generational talent” previously, in the words of that man Hojlund.
In flashes, his quality has been seen this season, not least when breezing through Manchester City’s midfield in the derby, although with Amorim wedded to his system, he seemingly can’t find room for arguably United’s brightest talent.
Yes, the course of a young player’s career can be turbulent, yet the lack of faith shown in Mainoo by his manager is puzzling. As Gary Neville suggested earlier this year, this is a player that the club should be “building around”.
And rightly so, this is a player following the traditions of the club in rising from the youth ranks before dazzling at the elite level.
Games
44
33
Starts
38
16
Subbed off
24
9
Goals
5
2
Assists
1
2
Yellow cards
8
3
Minutes played
3141
1639
Such is his talent and potential, he is now even deemed to be worth as much as £52m, as per Football Transfers, placing him ahead of both Hojlund (£41m) and Rashford (£47m).
Had things gone differently this summer, Mainoo might well have joined that pairing in heading for the exit door, although thankfully he remains – ready to fight for his place in that midfield.
If Amorim continues to ignore such a high-value, ‘generational’ midfielder, hopefully the next manager will see things differently.
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