Who might be Ruben Amorim's long term successor at Man Utd?

Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS leadership group will lead the search for United's seventh permanent manager in twelve years.
David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim (not including caretakers or interims Ryan Giggs, Ralf Rangnick, Michael Carrick and Ruud van Nistelrooy) have had a crack at one of the biggest and most high profile jobs in world football with varying degrees of success.

Amorim looked to be the guy tasked with the long term rebuilding project as the first boss of the INEOS era, but has fallen on his sword after 14 months in the job. It leaves United back at square one and looking for Yet Another One. This board, this regime, were meant to be the antidote to the Glazers 19-year long reign of terror, but have turned out to be even dysfunctional, even more clueless. The Glazers had the excuse of knowing nothing about football but Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox are meant to be best in class. They have instead turned the manager, or head coach's job, from already difficult to almost impossible.

It doesn't matter who the manager is, as he will encounter the same problems, the same flaws, as all of his predecessors. It is a bitter, endless struggle for supremacy with INEOS wanting full and total control over all matters both on and off the field. 

United are back here again: back to the future with a former player to steady the ship as interim before beginning the endless rinse and repeat cycle again in summer. 

We take a look at the possible runners and riders in line to be the next man to occupy the famous Old Trafford hotseat as Amorim's successor.

Oliver Glasner

Palace manager Oliver Glasner

Amongst the favourites to take over at United, INEOS are said to be huge admirers of the erudite Austrian's body of work at Crystal Palace and Frankfurt. Won the Europa League with the latter before steering the Eagles to a major trophy and into Europe for the first time in their history. Glasner is out of contract in the summer which would save United have to pay for compensation. It would also explain the decision to appoint an interim. There are concerns, though, as Glasner plays the same three at the back system as Amorim, has only ever taken charge of underdog teams and sets his side up to play without the ball. Palace have faded after a strong start to the season and have dropped to 14th in the league. Glasner is clearly a contender but would not set pulses racing amongst the United faithful.

(Sir) Gareth Southgate

A lot of what Southgate did as manager of England would go down very well at Old Trafford. But, as well as he did internationally, the jury is still out on him as a club manager. Southgate made his England players proud to play for their country again,he speaks very well and gave fans a team to genuinely like and believe in. He brought unity, cohesion and man management to a previously fractured dressing room. Something that, let's be honest, is badly needed at United. But his failure to win anything with the finest generation of players in years is a red flag as is his poor record at club level. His only club job, at Middlesbrough, ended in relegation. 

Enzo Maresca

One of those quirks only football can throw up, but could a job swap see Maresca jump out of the Stamford Bridge frying pan headlong into the Old Trafford fire? He has connections with United's top brass as he knows Wilcox, Berrada and Vivell from Manchester City. He fell out with the Chelsea hierarchy for much the same reasons as Amorim did at United - namely a lack of control over transfers. Despite winning the league at Leicester and both the Conference League and Club World Cup at Chelsea, he had the best squad each time and neither fanbase seemed unhappy when he left the club. But if he's a viable option for us, we would surely move for him now and not the summer. Unlikely but you never know with this board.

Thomas Tuchel

Ticks all the right boxes as a high profile serial winner who knows the Premier League and would fit the 'head coach' role. Tuchel's contract with England expires after this summer's World Cup and, as much as he has admitted to enjoying life with the national team, could the United job tempt him away? Been linked with United in the past but can be combustible and has a track record of falling out with club hierarchies - something INEOS really won't want to happen again. Tuchel has the experience, a proven ability at managing big egos, and can organise teams quickly. Looks a good option but the timeline is tight considering we couldn't get him until July. 

Sir Jim Ratcliffe will lead the search for the next manager 

Andoni Iraola

Led unfancied Bournemouth to ninth place in the Premier League last season and will have attracted many an admiring glance in doing so. Iraola has built up a fine body of work on the south coast and, although that progress has somewhat plateaud this term, there is no doubt the Spanish boss is destined for bigger things. Bournemouth is a stepping stone and, although his coaching career is modest to date, United aren't exactly in a position to be picky. He has the Cherries playing an exciting brand of football They have scored the most goals out of all the clubs in the bottom half but have lost three quarters of their defence and the departure of their best player, Antoine Semenyo, is imminent. Iraola may be wondering if he has taken them as far as he can. Has no major trophies on his CV, but finished six places and 14 points above us last term.... United could do a lot worse. Like Glasner, he is out of contract in the summer. 

Michael Carrick

Perhaps more likely as an interim appointment, Carrick is, statistically speaking, the most successful United manager ever in terms of win % with three wins and a draw. Had a mixed spell at Middlesbrough in his first managerial job, but, if United want safe and steady, they may turn to the calming influence of the 44-year-old. Carrick is familiar with the inner workings of the club and played 463 times in Red across 12 trophy laden years. He's available, would save United the hassle of negotiation and would no doubt be happy to further his managerial credentials at a club he knows. 

Other candidates include Mauricio Pochettino (a long time managerial target), Xavi, Carlo Ancelotti, Julian Nagelsmann - like Tuchel, out of contract after the World Cup - and Unai Emery (although he would be very expensive and is unlikely to leave Villa). 

Rudderless INEOS have left United all at sea

As the dust settles on the sudden departure of Ruben Amorim the vessel named HMS Manchester United is back in familiar waters.

Any strong and seaworthy vessel needs a captain, a leader, and a capable hand on the tiller to steady the literal ship and guide his crew through the darkest of nights and stormiest of seas. Without a man in charge, the vessel is rendered useless - listing leeward at the mercy of the conditions - rudderless, punctured, holed below the waterline.

And that's where United find themselves at right now. A craft that has been left to the mercy of the sea with unstable parts that don't fit together, components which aren't fit for purpose with an inadequate, badly assembled structure that's creaking at the seams. There is a man at the head of all this, in Sir Jim Ratcliffe, but he has an INEOS crew hopelessly out of their depth and one whom have never done lifeboat drill. No one knows who's meant to be in charge, no one has a clue who should be doing what or who should be where. To continue the analogy, changing the manager is like shuffling the deckchairs on the Titanic. 

Whatever your thoughts on Amorim, you have to feel a shred of sympathy for him. This cannot have been the plan. In October Ratcliffe spoke, and spoke well, on giving their man three years to prove himself because previous managers "haven't had long enough." His words. At the time, it was refreshing to hear an owner speak so openly and candidly on the future. At least he was giving us a timeframe, a vision, something to suggest INEOS would go against the grain and give a manager time.

Yet here we are, three months on. 14 months into that self-confessed three year project, and Amorim has gone. Pushed out the door for daring to question Ratcliffe and his merry band of minions on the board. 
It is a third black mark against INEOS in just over two years. They promised the earth but have delivered nothing except a few savings on Sellotape. Put bluntly, Ratcliffe and his cohorts have got nothing right since taking on the giant, unwieldy beast of Manchester United back on Christmas Eve 2024.

United are no less dysfunctional now than we were on the day Ratcliffe and his millions walked in, portrayed as the mega-rich knight in shining armour destined to clear the clouds of ill-feeling under the poison of the Glazer regime. 

But the reality has been somewhat different. Ratcliffe is a rich businessman, and rich businessmen are ruthless. They do not take kindly to having their nose put out of joint. The decision to sack Amorim cannot be purely based on results - if that were the case, then surely he would have gone after Bilbao. Or Grimsby. Or Everton. We're 6th and within touching distance of Champions League football - we are on track to achieve our aim. No, Amorim was sacked for what he said after Leeds. For daring to challenge his paymasters. He wanted more control and was prepared to go nuclear to get it. 

You can view this situation both ways. As the manager, or 'head coach', you should be able to get on with your job, to coach and set your team up however you see fit without any outside influence. You can see why Amorim felt having those methods questioned might be outside the remit of a board member. Yet on the other hand, the manager of a club is only one piece of a chess board. He has others above him who he's answerable to. As in this case, those 'others' are often powerful, influential moneymakers with little patience who want to see their investments rewarded. 

They have stumbled from one bad decision, one misstep, to the next with the Amorim debacle the very latest public demonstration of their failures. 
This of course came hot on the heels of the shambles surrounding the sacking of the Portuguese's predecessor in Erik ten Hag. The Dutchman was given a contract extension and 200m to spend in the wake of winning the FA Cup only for the folly of that gamble to be exposed when he was out on his ear only two months later.

Dan Ashworth questioned their call of going for Amorim and he, too, was sacked. They don't want anyone challenging them - they want a yes man, a nodding dog, who will sit quietly in the corner and do everything they say. 

For a regime earning a reputation for cost-cutting, the cost of sacking ten Hag then appointing and sacking Amorim just over a year later have been two (very expensive) mistakes costing almost 20m. 

Then there was forcing Amorim to take the job mid-season when he didn't want to, preferring to wait until the summer, then the impression of surprise that he was sticking to the principles he's made a career of. Going over his head to sign Senne Lammens and Benjamin Sesko when he wanted Emi Martinez and Ollie Watkins. 
Ratcliffe, Omar Berrada, Jason Wilcox and Christopher Vivell clearly never did their homework. If they had, they would have known Amorim's fixation on the 3-4-3 had put Liverpool off going for him. They would have known United's squad was completely unsuitable for the manager to play how he wanted. 

It's true Amorim certainly did not help himself. He stubbornly and religiously stuck to a formation totally alien to the squad at his disposal. His substitutions were baffling and in game management questionable. He was honest with the media - perhaps a bit too much so at times - and, whilst he came across as a nice bloke you'd want a beer with, he was naive and didn't seem to understand the unique rigours of the Premier League. 

Ratcliffe, Berrada and Wilcox now find themselves back at square one. Darren Fletcher will take charge in the interim to hold the fort and let things calm down. It is the latest huge decision facing United's powerbrokers and one they simply have to get right. 

INEOS are completely rudderless and have left the sinking ship of Manchester United exposed to the elements. 

Fernandes hit by injury at worst possible time

The question: "Where would United be without Bruno Fernandes" is one we've asked ourselves hypothetically for years now.
Such is the indestructible immortality of United's omnipresent captain, it is one we thought we'd never need to actually consider.

Man Utd captain Bruno Fernandes

But we will very soon find out the answer and I suspect it won't be nice. Strap yourselves in, folks. One of the most durable players in football has finally broken. 

There were plenty of positives to take from the trip to Villa Park, despite the result. United played well for long periods but went down 2-1. But the result wasn't even the worst part of the day. Fernandes pulled up with a hamstring injury shortly before half-time. He didn't re-emerge for the second half and, although we battled gamely without him, it was clear the injury was serious. It had to be for him to come off. This is a guy who played on one leg in an FA Cup final for the cause and has played through the pain barrier on more than one occasion. He has a high pain threshold and is never substituted. 

United depleted and squad looks thin

The timing could not be worse. Fernandes famously never gets injured then, just as Amad Diallo and Bryan Mbeumo leave for AFCON, he pulls his hammy. To add insult to injury, the man who would've replaced him in midfield, Kobbie Mainoo, is also sidelined. It is rotten luck and someone somewhere has a very warped sense of humour. Merry bloody Christmas. Added to defensive injuries in Mathijs de Ligt and Harry Maguire, United have eight senior first team players unavailable. 

Of course, injuries are part of the game but all of ours have been to our most important players all at the same time at the most crucial part of the campaign. 

We've had barely any injuries all season and then our most important player is struck down just when we needed him most. What are the chances... you couldn't write it could you? 

Whilst the true extent of his injury is still unknown, a soft muscle injury is a month out at the very least. A Grade One tear is a few days to a few weeks, a Grade Two is up to a month and a Grade Three, a severe tear could see him face up to four months on the sidelines. It is a Nightmare before Christmas for United and Ruben Amorim. 

United are traditionally reluctant buyers in January but may have no choice to bulk up a depleted squad beset by injuries. Antoine Semenyo is sought after but the real problems are in midfield. Elliot Anderson and Adam Wharton are high on the wishlist but both players scream of summer signings. 

Ever-present Fernandes finally broken 

Fernandes absence from the side is so rare the stats look like something out of a simulation. 

He has missed only three games through non-suspension reasons since signing for United six years ago in January. One was against Spurs in March 2022 (3-2 win, CR hat-trick) and the other two coming at the tail end of 2023-24 when he was managing a knee injury in the run up to the FA Cup final. Those pair of matches ended in 1-0 and 4-0 losses to Arsenal and Palace, respectively. 

Those two latter losses show just how vital United's string-puller in chief is. Even if his Hollywood passing and occasionally volatile outbursts can frustrate, his ability and influence on this side cannot be questioned. He is our talisman, the one truly world class player in this team and our main creative force. Even in a deeper midfield role alongside Casemiro this season, he has five goals and seven assists. For a squad still excelling in the art of consistent inconsistency, Fernandes metronomic effervescence has been a familiar calming presence and one we've taken for granted. He is the one player we have who would get in any other Premier League club's# XI. 

In 292 games with Fernandes starting, our win rate is 51.7%. That drops to 45.2% without him. In the Premier League, it's 208 games with him (48.6%) but 29.4% without him. 

What do United do now in the skipper's absence?

Amad & Fernandes

There are two main problems: First, how on earth do you replace him? Second... how long will he be out for? 

United have been playing one game a week but, after the Newcastle game, have four games in a fortnight culminating in the FA Cup third rounder with Brighton. Traditional big hitters Arsenal and Manchester City loom large on the horizon after that. By then, you'd hope Fernandes will be back but you cannot rush hamstring injuries, no matter how physically and mentally tough you are. 

United don't have a ready-made replacement or another attacking option at no.8. Mainoo is the closest we have to Fernandes quality and profile, but his own injury means his wait for a first league start of the season will go on. Even when he returns, there is nothing to suggest he will become an automatic starter in Fernandes absence - Mainoo has his own problems and has fallen down the pecking order under Amorim. United could turn to another out of favour player, Joshua Zirkzee, to come in to the side as one of the no.10s with Mason Mount dropping alongside Casemiro in the Fernandes role. That would allow us to have two strikers on the pitch but keep our shape and system the same in the 3-4-2-1, or alternatively an extra man in midfield in a rejigged 4-3-3. 

Jack Fletcher, teenage son of United player-turned-coach Darren, became Academy graduate number 255 when he replaced Benjamin Sesko in the 73rd minute. He looked neat and tidy and put himself about in an eye-catching cameo, but it's asking a lot of an 18-year-old rookie to slot into the high intensity cauldron of the Premier League and expect him to adequately replace Fernandes. 

Amorim raised eyebrows when Lisandro Martinez came on in midfield at half time at Villa Park but he was excellent and looked like he'd played there all his life. Licha has the skillset to fulfill a central midfield role having done so for Ajax and Argentina in the past and looks a genuine option. Amorim has said he would only consider it in an emergency but we are surely at that point now? One thing's for sure... we cannot continue to persist with Manuel Ugarte who is starting to look like one of the worst signings in United history. 

We're down to the bare bones at a time when the frantic festive fixtures stretch squads to the limit. 

Clutch Maguire rises for Amorim's finest hour

Lord Harry Maguire of Slabhead

When Cody Gakpo equalised for Liverpool 12 minutes from time you feared the worst.

For those of us watching at home, and for the 3,000 or so in the away end at Anfield, you could sense what was coming: United would s**t themselves in the face of a full blown onslaught from the wounded but hungry champions. It was an achingly familiar and unpleasant feeling from deep inside. United, as we have done so often, were going to snatch defeat when victory was within reach. 

Clutch Maguire comes up trumps 

Except, this time, it was different: United had their own battering ram in the familiar form of Harry Maguire's forehead. The man for the big occasion who has come in clutch so often rose again to head himself into Old Trafford folklore and end United's near decade-long wait for a win on enemy territory. An entire generation of United-supporting kids have never seen this before. 

Maguire's last six goals have all come in late and dramatic fashion: equaliser vs FC Porto (91 minutes), 93rd-minute winner against Leicester, the winner over Ipswich, THAT extra-time header vs Lyon, 89th-minute at Grimsby to level and now his 84th-minute intervention here. Surely this man deserves a statue...

Wayne Rooney, Juan Mata, Robin van Persie, Carlos Tevez, John O'Shea, Ryan Giggs and Diego Forlan. The list of United players to score winners here over the past few decades is not extensive but you can now add Maguire to it. 

Reward and vindication for Amorim 

This was United's finest result and performance of the Ruben Amorim era - and what better place to finally pick up the long-awaited second successive Premier League victory. For the first time in a long while, Amorim, the players, us fans and the club as a collective can puff out our chests with pride. 

Amorim's team selection raised eyebrows before kick off. Benjamin Sesko was back on the bench despite two goals in as many games and Leny Yoro, consistently impressive this season, was dropped. Amorim reverted to the same back three as the Brentford debacle and also included the weary Casemiro who played back-to-back 90 minutes for the Selecao, on the other side of the world. 

Yet for a man who has had so much criticism both on these pages and elsewhere (not all of it justified, in fairness), it was difficult to find fault here. He came with a game plan to pin Liverpool back and bypass their press and was rewarded with a superb display of contain and counter-attack. The public backing of his boss, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, may have allowed a manager who has looked at odds with himself at times this season to breathe a little easier.

Whether Amorin does, indeed, last the three years Ratcliffe wants, or only another three months, both men will always have this to remember fondly. 
The first United manager to win here since 2016, succeeding where Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Erik ten Hag failed. 

Granted, the Reds, clad in all white, rode their luck at times. Cody Gakpo struck both posts and the bar, whilst Senne Lammens saved superbly from Alexander Isak. You expect that at Anfield - Liverpool may look poor right now but they are the still the champions and this was Anfield. Sometimes you need a bit of fortune and we got it here. 

But United could, indeed probably should, have been a couple of goals ahead by the break when Bruno Fernandes fired wide from a good position.

But this was no smash and grab. We were well worth our win and responded superbly when Arne Slot's needs-must substitution changed the game and eventually brought the leveller. United kept their heads and Maguire used his at the crucial moment.

It is testament to Maguire's resilience and ability he is still a United player. Lesser beings would have thrown in the towel after losing the captaincy then seeing multiple attempts to sell him. Bullied by trolls and a much malinged figure of fun,  he never lets his head drop, always does his best and - in an age where nearly every metric of a player's game can be measured - Maguire has something that is simply priceless: character. May your apologies be louder than your disrespect. 

Amad, Mbeumo and Cunha lead the charge 

Bryan Mbeumo

United were spearheaded superbly by the magic of Bryan Mbeumo and the fleet-footed finesse of the in-form Amad. The two dovetailed perfectly against Sunderland and Amorim deserves credit for keeping faith with the duo when perhaps the more defensive-minded Noussair Mazraoui would have made more sense. Mbeumo struck the quickest ever goal in this fixture and has looked the part since his summer signing from Brentford. 

As for Matheus Cunha: this lad was born to play for us. He may be yet to notch his first goal for United, but his multitude of assets was vital. He covered every blade of grass, knitted everything together, the ball stuck to him like glue, had the most touches of any United player, and he was a constant thorn in Liverpool's side. His ball carrying and physicality is elite and he celebrated the award of a late free-kick like a winning goal. What a player. 

Despite his, and our, critics, there are signs the tide is turning for Amorim's United. Into the top half and only three points off both our vanquished rivals and fourth place. Of course, we have to back this up now with a win against a Brighton side victorious on their last three trips to Old Trafford. But - the Grimsby and Brentford aberrations aside, we've not been nearly as bad as has been made out. 

And so United have thrown down the gauntlet and passed the ultimate test. This team and the manager have proved they can do it, we are capable and have in it us to pull off a result like this one. The challenge now is to do so on a regular basis. 

He won't turn the Reds around... Ruben Amorim

 It's time to be honest and say it like it is: I have lost faith in Ruben Amorim. 

Ruben Amorim

I like the guy - he's articulate, carries himself well, speaks sense, genuinely does seem to care and has strong charisma and charm.
That's all well and good, and would stand you in good stead in most other jobs. But the pressure cooker, goldfish bowl world of professional football management is not 'most other jobs'. Amorim is paid very handsomely to win football matches, and even win some of them well, but - right now - he is failing spectacularly to do so. 

He is clearly an intelligent man and coach, which makes the nature of some of his decisions all the more baffling. There is no evidence of progress, we're not building anything and there are no tangible signs of improvement to point at.  

Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko are promising and could prove to be the best trio of signings United have made in years: but even their bright starts to life at Old Trafford are threatening to become swallowed up by the banquet of ineptitude they find themselves at.

It can't be a question of giving Amorim time - time for what, exactly? You can back him on hypotheticals but very little hard evidence. I've used the Mikel Arteta argument (he finished 8th twice before he started to make an imprint on Arsenal) but, as most Gooners will tell you, even then there were the green shoots of a beautiful flower growing in the right direction. There were baby steps towards where they are now. I really wanted it to work, I wanted him to come good and, as the chant from the Stretford End says: 'turn the Reds around'. But I've seen enough: we're only going one way under this manager. 

I don't even mind not winning if, at least, you can see something to get you off your seat: some flair, some artistry, a bit of magic or even good old fashioned 'handbags'. But there is nothing. Absolutely nothing to keep your attention when watching United at the moment. 

We're not going to win every game 6-0; I don't think anyone expects that. But we do expect to have something to back, something to believe in. Something to make us believe what he told us: the good times are coming.Amorim's steadfast refusal to shy away from his contentious 3-4-2-1 formation is only part of the problem. 

Bruno Fernandes flailing as a no.8 in midfield; the continued selections of serial losers Diogo Dalot, Luke Shaw and Manuel Ugarte, the misuse of our best Academy graduate in years, constantly subbing one centre back for another, the omission of Leny Yoro. Amorim's charge sheet is lengthy and continues to grow. It's the same mistakes we've seen for the best part of a year. He is not learning from them or taking any responsibility. Nine wins in the equivalent of virtually a full Premier League 38-game season (and not one of them in succession) is abhorrent for any club let alone this one. 

People in any walk of life have to adapt to the world around them: you put a coat on when its raining, you might get a bus if your train is cancelled. You might be moved from a job in the office to a job on the shop floor, or in a warehouse. Yet you make the best of the situation in front of you; sometimes you have to think on your feet or even maybe take action you'd rather not. 

It's the same for football managers: you have to adapt to the squad you have and take its strength and weaknesses, its limitations and its variables, into account. You have to find the best solution to solve the problems: Amorim either can't or won't and is sacking himself as a result. 

Xabi Alonso took Leverkusen to an unbeaten league and cup double with his thrilling, swashbuckling 3-4-1-2 set up. Only Atalanta prevented Alonso's unfashionable Die Schwarzroten from doing a historic treble. That success earned Alonso a crack at the biggest job in world football at the Bernabeu, and since going there, he has gone from strength to strength. Alonso may have proved that a three-at-the-back formation can, and does, work. But, even in his short time in the Real Madrid hotseat, he has regularly changed and tweaked his tactical set-up playing just about anything from a 3-4-3 to a 4-3-3. You could argue that Real Madrid have such an embarrasment of riches the manager's blueprint shouldn't matter, and you could be right, but the point is Alonso has shown a willingness to adapt to his surroundings. 

The players Amorim has at his disposal have never been asked to play this way.  Too many of them are tasked with jobs they are simply not cut out for. I just cannot see how this is ever going to work and when its obvious something isn't working, and the person primarily responsible isn't going to change it, there can only be one result. 

Quite why INEOS looked at Amorim, a man wedded to a system United have never used, and thought it would work in England with these players, is beyond me. It is another question mark against their reign of terror in the corridor of power. 

He has gone from the most exciting young manager in Europe, a manager with the highest win rate in Sporting's history, to the one with United's lowest. Amongst ever-present Premier League sides since his arrival, United are bottom of the pile. 

Yet you know the craziest thing of all? Amorim doesn't even need to change his formation to improve this. All he has to do is put Fernandes further up as one of the 10s and drop Mainoo in alongside Casemiro and you would see an instant uptick. He could still play his beloved 3-4-2-1 but it would be more mobile, more disciplined and harder to beat. We would have a modicum of control with Mainoo, Fernandes would flourish in his natural position and we'd at least string a few results together. The answer is literally staring him in the face. 

United signed Serge Lammens in January: I understand not throwing him into high profile clashes with City and Chelsea as that's tough for any new players to come into. But surely a game at Brentford, a club known for their set piece prowess, would have been the ideal scenario for a debut? Bayindir is an accident waiting to happen and is worse than Andre Onana - United really did have the worst pair of keepers in the league. A far cry from the days of David de Gea and Sergio Romero. 

The sands of time are surely ticking with Amorim's United hurtling towards another season in the trenches. 

Grimsby Town vs Man United: Amorim to make changes but pick strong side

Ruben Amorim takes his United side to the Lincolnshire coast for a first meeting with Grimsby Town in 77 years. 
The Reds will hope to avoid being all at sea against the fourth tier Mariners in the unchartered waters of the Carabao Cup second round. 
United are still searching for a first win of the campaign and this tie against League Two opposition will provide a perfect opportunity to get our season up and running. 

There are expected to be several changes with many of United's big names given the night off, but Amorim is likely to still select a relatively strong side.

Here is how we think the Reds will line up at Blundell Park. 

Home of Grimsby Town FC, Blundell Park

GK - Tom Heaton

Andre Onana is out of favour and the unconvincing Altay Bayindir has started the first two league games. The 39-year-old veteran has started only three games since returning for his second spell at Old Trafford - two of which came in this competition during United's run to Wembley which ultimately ended in glory. 
Heaton shouldn't expect a busy night against a Grimsby side who will likely defend in numbers, so this is ideal for him to get a run out

RCB - Tyler Fredricson

The young defender caught the eye on the left hand side of the three-man defence when he made a long-awaited debut last term. With United minds on Bilbao, Fredricson impressed against Wolves and Brentford and has stayed at the club despite being linked to a move away. I'd like to see him get another go here.

CB - Harry Maguire

The senior man in United's back three, Maguire will start after two brief substitute appearances. With regular skipper Bruno Fernandes to be given the night off, expect Maguire to be named as stand in skipper for this one. 

LCB - Ayden Heaven

Came on late against Fulham and, with Mathijs de Ligt and Leny Yoro rested, will come into the defence. Like his senior partner Maguire, this will be Heaven's first start of the season and he will lay down his claim to displace the current Yoro/De Ligt/Shaw triumvirate. Heaven impressed in his debut campaign at Old Trafford and this will be a good opportunity for him to get minutes in the legs.

RWB - Noussair Mazraoui

Missed the latter part of pre-season and the first two competitive fixtures with a knock, but Amorim has said the Moroccan full-back is close to a return. This tie could come too soon but, if fit, it's a good platform for Mazraoui to get a run out and up to speed. One of the few players to consistently impress last term, Mazraoui's return provides United will strength in depth in an important area of the team

CM - Kobbie Mainoo

There has been much furore over Mainoo's absence from the side against Arsenal and Fulham. He hasn't even played a minute amidst doubts over his future. But we expect him to get his chance in this one with Casemiro and Fernandes to get the night off. He's better than a rotation option against a League Two side, but  - if he impresses - might he force his way back into Amorim's thinking? Surely this is the game for Mainoo. 

CM - Manuel Ugarte

After chaotic cameos in two sub appearances, let's hope we see a more controlled and composed Ugarte here. He should see plenty of the ball, and his link up with Mainoo will be key with United expected to monopolise possession and break down Grimsby. Largley seen as one of Mainoo's rivals for this position in midfield, with the pair having played alongside each other only ten times last season. This will be the eleventh and the under-pressure Uruguyuan needs a good showing. 

LWB - Diego Leon

The most unheralded of United's four summer signings, Leon is another South American export hoping to impress. Expected to ply his trade in the youth set up with an eventual pathway to senior football, Leon will be eyeing this tie for his Reds bow. Luke Shaw and Patrick Dorgu will be rested, paving the way for Leon to become United's latest debutant. It will give us a first look at the young Paraguyuan - the first man from that nation to turn out for our first team. 

CAM - Amad

Yet to hit the heights of last season, Amad came on against Arsenal but was hooked early at Fulham. He will operate further forward at Blundell Park charged with sparking United's rotated attack into life. The young Ivorian was one of the very few bright spots in our dismal season last term, and will again look to be tormentor-in-chief. Like some of his colleagues, Amad will hope a strong performance here will help him kick on after a frustrating start to the campaign. 

CAM - Joshua Zirkzee

With big money summer signings Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo not needed here, Zirkzee will get his first minutes of the season. The Dutch forward can play through the middle or in a deeper playmaking role. Zirkzee was much malinged during his early months as a United player but enjoyed something of a renaissance in the second half of last season. Although not prolific, Zirkzee will fancy his chances of a profitable night's work against a fourth tier defence. Worked hard to turn around his fortunes with his movement and link up play impressive and will surely get his opportunity here. 

ST - Benjamin Sesko 

Although United have the likes of Chido Obi waiting in the wings, we think Sesko will come in for his first start in Red. The giant Slovenian needs minutes and momentum as he gets up to speed with the English game after two sub appearances in which he we did not see the best of him. Once that first goal goes in an opposition net, Sesko's confidence will rise and he will be an entirely different proposition. This Carabao Cup tie provides an ideal opportunity for that impact to be made and put him in the picture for a first league start against Burnley on Saturday.

A rotated Reds side but still a team with plenty of experience and one that should be strong enough to get the job done. The bench will feature several youngsters - perhaps the likes of Godwill Kukonki, Harry Amass, Obi and the Fletcher brothers Tyler and Jack. There may well be a few first team names there too with Cunha, Fernandes and Casemiro et al. Just in case... 

Prediction: You can never safely predict the outcome of a United match, but surely even we cannot mess this one up. We think it could be tight and scrappy for an hour but then Grimsby will tire and United's superior quality shines through. Amorim's side to win it

Grimsby Town 0-3 Man Utd 

Kobbie Mainoo is a player United should build the team around

There should be a simple solution to Ruben Amorim's midfield malaise at Manchester United. 

For all the talk of a megamoney move for Carlos Baleba, the answer to United's issues is right in front of us - sitting on the bench in 20-year-old Kobbie Mainoo. 

He is a player United should be looking to build our team around for the next 10, 15, 20 years - a fantastic, generational talent and the future of that United midfield. Instead, if the rumours are to be believed, we are looking to cash in on him and let him go. That would be absolutely criminal and the worst decision this club has made for decades. INEOS risk losing the fans for good if they sanction the sale of one of our best academy graduates in the past decade. 

A little more than two years on, 
these four players may have left the club 
by the time the window shuts 

I cannot tell you how angry this has made me - in what world should Mainoo be one of the first out the door. The maelstrom surrounding Mainoo could well turn out to be exactly that - with only a week left of the transfer window, there remains a very good chance of the man who's been at this club since he was six not going anywhere.  But the fact it is even a topic of conversation is worrying. 

Not only would we be dispensing with one of the finest products of Carrington's conveyor belt, but delivering a strike to the heart of Manchester United's ethos - the trust, belief and development in youth. With Mainoo forced to the fringes of the first team with a World Cup looming, the timing could not be worse. 

Mainoo has not played a minute in United's opening two games of the campaign against Arsenal and Fulham with the unconvincing Manuel Ugarte coming on ahead of him. Mainoo played only the closing seconds of the Europa League final in Bilbao. It is not even certain he will get a start on Wednesday when the Reds visit fourth tier Grimsby in the Carabao Cup. Amorim does need appear to rate him and it says a lot about Mainoo's current place in the pecking order. 

Unless Fernandes is moved into one of the no.10 positions currently occupied by summer recruits Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, it is difficult to see Amorim dropping his key man and captain. 

Mainoo's path at United is blocked, with Amorim's comments that he's competing with captain Bruno Fernandes for a spot in midfield suggesting he's not getting near the XI any time soon. Never mind the fact they are completely different types of players in different positions, a Man United midfield with Mainoo in it offers an instant upgrade. Why can't Mainoo and Fernandes play in a double pivot with Casemiro or Ugarte? 

In all honesty, I would rather Fernandes, Amad or any other player leave the club before Mainoo. If it does happen, I would be Amorim out because any project without Mainoo at its centre is one I cannot get behind. If the answer is to sell Mainoo because he doesn't fit the system, then the system and the manager are the problem. 

A player with the quality and ability of Mainoo must be integrated into this team. Of course, no player is ever undroppable but, off the back of his scintillating breakthrough season, he should be one of the first names on the team sheet. Particularly given United's struggles in controlling the midfield and dictating games. Fernandes is not an 8, but Amorim kept him on the pitch and even put Mason Mount alongside him when Benjamin Sesko came on at Fulham. With United only playing one game a week, opportunities to rotate will be minimal.

How did it all come to this for a player who already has quite the CV? Ever since his magnificent full debut at Everton in November 2023 where he bossed the space between defence and midfield, he has been touted as United's next big star. 

That star only continued to shine as he ran the game at Anfield, catching the eye as the ultimate big game player. His highlights reel is impressive: that 98th-minute curling winner at Wolves, another screamer in the 2-2 draw with Liverpool at Old Trafford, and dragging United - kicking and screaming - back from the dead on that famous night against Lyon. Then there was his goal and man of the match showing in the FA Cup final and his impressive Euros campaign, culminating in getting the nod against Spain as England finished runners-up. 

Mainoo's future remains uncertain but United must do whatever it takes to keep him.