Ruben Amorim has made an unbeaten start to life at Manchester United, yet the Portuguese’s toughest test lies in store this evening, with the Red Devils travelling to north London to face a resurgent Arsenal side.
In truth, the Emirates has not been a happy hunting ground for the Old Trafford outfit in recent times, having last tasted victory at the stadium back in January 2019, following a 3-1 win in the FA Cup. Their last Premier League victory at the Emirates came even further back, in December 2017, under a certain Jose Mourinho.
It is still early days in the Amorim tenure, but a win away against the Gunners could well be a season-defining one. The Manchester side had come agonisingly close to beating Mikel Arteta’s men last season, only for Alejandro Garnacho to be deemed narrowly offside.
While it may have been a VAR call at the London Stadium which proved the ultimate undoing for Erik ten Hag, the Dutchman – as he so often did – perhaps looks back to that offside call as a pivotal turning point in his reign. What might have been.
Alas, in the here and now, United need to get points on the board to bolster their charge for the top four, although Amorim – like Ten Hag before him – may find his task has become far tougher due to notable absentees.
Man Utd team news vs Arsenal
The Red Devils suffered two significant setbacks during the convincing win over Everton last time out, with both Kobbie Mainoo and Lisandro Martinez picking up yellow cards to ensure they will miss the trip to the capital due to suspension.
03/09/2023 – Arsenal 3-1 Man Utd
GK – Andre Onana
RB – Aaron Wan-Bissaka
CB – Victor Lindelof
CB – Lisandro Martinez
LB – Diogo Dalot
CM – Casemiro
CM – Christian Eriksen
RW – Antony
CAM – Bruno Fernandes
LW – Marcus Rashford
ST – Anthony Martial
In the case of Martinez, Amorim seemingly had a ready-made replacement in the form of the returning Luke Shaw, although after three successive substitute appearances for the Englishman, he has once again broken down with injury.
The 29-year-old revealed he was ‘devastated’ to once again be absent, although patience is perhaps wearing thin with the long-serving asset, having last started a game for the club back in February.
On a positive note, Leny Yoro is included in the matchday squad for the first time since sustaining a metatarsal injury against the Gunners, ironically, during pre-season, although there is concern over the availability of the club’s Player of the Month, Noussair Mazraoui.
As per the Manchester Evening News, the Moroccan sensation ‘wasn’t spotted travelling down to London’, ensuring that doubt has been cast over his involvement.
That potential scare – alongside the confirmed absence of Shaw and Martinez – has left Amorim with a problem to be solved at the heart of the defence.
Man Utd's defensive set-up vs Arsenal
Up against a side who have scored 13 goals in just their last three games in all competitions, it is far from ideal for United to have to deploy what looks set to be something of a makeshift or untested backline. The loss of Mazraoui – who has been a “10/10 every game” of late – would be devastating.
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While the aforementioned Yoro is now back in the squad, it would be a surprise to see the Frenchman – who arrived from Lille over the summer – thrust straight into the starting lineup, with the teenager’s return needing to be carefully managed.
In truth, the only guaranteed starter is likely to be fellow new arrival, Matthijs de Ligt, although there is a chance that Harry Maguire could well join him in the back three, following the England star’s own injury return against the Toffees.
With an ageing Jonny Evans also not seemingly involved and with Amorim’s former Benfica teammate, Victor Lindelof, still likely to be sidelined, senior options are slim.
A back three involving Maguire and De Ligt may have supporters wincing, although there is an outside chance that the new boss could spring a surprise, with 16-year-old Godwill Kukonki having been included in the travelling matchday squad for the first time.
Throwing the 6 foot 5 sensation into the fray would be a brave call, yet with options limited, it could be a chance for the academy starlet to shine, having evidently impressed his manager in first-team training.
There are alternative options, such as throwing Manuel Ugarte and Casemiro into the backline, but with Mainoo sidelined – and Christian Eriksen not even making the bench at the weekend – that pairing will likely be needed to start in central midfield.
Not ideal then for a game such as this, with an already tough task for Amorim having been made even tougher. This really will be a test of just what this United side is made of…
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