Ruben Amorim no doubt appreciated the arrival of the international break after a draining start to the season for مانشستر يونايتد. From كأس كاراباو embarrassment at Grimsby to frustrating results against أرسنال and Fulham, all followed by a stressful, last-gasp victory over Burnley, the Red Devils have been on a rollercoaster already in 2025-26, and we’re only a month in.
But Amorim cannot exactly ease himself back into work. United resume their campaign with a daunting derby against مانشستر سيتي on Sunday, followed by another tricky fixture against تشيلسي six days later ahead of – theoretically – more comfortable games against برينتفورد and Sunderland.
United’s lack of European football and their early exit from the League Cup means that Amorim will have more time to prepare his players on the training ground and to properly assess how to finally get his team to click into gear. There are, however, some clear changes he should be considering as United look to kick-start their season…
Ruben Amorim no doubt appreciated the arrival of the international break after a draining start to the season for Manchester United. From Carabao Cup embarrassment at Grimsby to frustrating results against Arsenal and Fulham, all followed by a stressful, last-gasp victory over Burnley, the Red Devils have been on a rollercoaster already in 2025-26, and we’re only a month in.
But Amorim cannot exactly ease himself back into work. United resume their campaign with a daunting derby against Manchester City on Sunday, followed by another tricky fixture against Chelsea six days later ahead of – theoretically – more comfortable games against Brentford and Sunderland.
United’s lack of European football and their early exit from the League Cup means that Amorim will have more time to prepare his players on the training ground and to properly assess how to finally get his team to click into gear. There are, however, some clear changes he should be considering as United look to kick-start their season…
Many United fans have been baffled by the fact that their biggest signing of the summer, Benjamin Sesko, has not started any of their three Premier League games so far. There can be no excuse, however, for not unleashing the £74-million ($100m) man on their ‘noisy neighbours’ City.
Sesko has looked a little out of place in his three substitute appearances thus far, while when he started at Grimsby he also struggled before cramps led to him being the team’s 10th penalty-taker in the shootout. Amorim later explained that Sesko was benched against Burnley due to his lack of fitness after missing the pre-season follwing his late arrival from آر بي لايبزيغ, but the Slovenia striker should be fully up to speed now after completing 90 minutes for his country against both Sweden and Switzerland, with there still five days for him to recover in time for the derby.
Sesko’s pace and power can help United wear down a mentally fragile City side and bring the best out of Bryan Mbeumo and Bruno Fernandes. And to put it bluntly, if Amorim does not think Sesko is worthy of starting against their local rivals, then why on earth did the club sign him?
A spot has opened up in the United attack for Sesko to take following the injury suffered by Matheus Cunha during the first half of the Burnley game. Losing the ex-Wolves forward was a huge blow for United given his performances so far this season, and yet it could prove to be a blessing in disguise as it means Bruno Fernandes may be able to return to his best position in attack.
The United captain rediscovered his goal-scoring touch last season when deployed higher up the pitch, and Amorim later admitted “we missed Bruno near the box” when Fernandes was asked to play a controlling role deeper in midfield, such as in the dismal Europa League final defeat to توتنهام.
The arrivals of Cunha and Mbeumo, as well as Amorim’s new-found trust in Mason Mount, has meant that there has been no natural spot in attack for Fernandes within Amorim’s rigid 3-4-2-1 formation, and so he has played at the base of the midfield in the three league matches so far.
Cunha being missing for the derby, as well as the likely absence of Mount after he also picked up an injury against Burnley, means that Fernandes is the obvious choice to partner Mbeumo in attacking midfield behind Sesko. That should give the skipper a chance to get back among the goals and assists after a quiet start to the campaign.
Andre Onana’s loan departure for Trabzonspor may have rid United of one of their worst signings of all time,but there are big question marks about the three goalkeepers they have left. Altay Bayindir has been to blame for two of the four league goals United have conceded so far this term, Tom Heaton has not played a competitive game for two-and-a-half years while Sanne Lammens has only just arrived from بلجيكا with no experience of English football.
There are risks associated with playing each of the three shot-stoppers, and there is an argument that Heaton should play against City to guard against the possibility of Lammens’ confidence being destroyed by a derby defeat in his very first match. Equally, not starting the 23-year-old would not send out the right message after United opted to sign him from Royal Antwerp as a long-term bet while turning their back on the more experienced Emiliano Martinez.
There are doubts surrounding Lammens given he is yet to be called up to the Belgium senior squad and has only one full season of top-flight football under his belt. But given that United see him as their long-term No. 1, they need to give him all their confidence and that means throwing him in at the deep end, on enemy territory on derby day.
Following the closure of the transfer window, Kobbie Mainoo is the only surviving member of the famous ‘Three Amigos’ picture that was taken in February 2024 of him sat on the advertising boards at Old Trafford alongside Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund, an image that at the time looked to be painting a very bright future for United built on talented youngsters.
Just over 18 months on, Mainoo almost joined Hojlund and Garnacho in leaving the club, and would have done if he had got his way. United rejected two requests from the England midfielder to leave the club on loan, and now that he is staying around, the club need to make their homegrown midfielder feel important again.
Cunha’s injury and the obvious solution to move Fernandes forward opens up a spot for Mainoo in the centre of midfield and Amorim would be crazy not to take it. The midfielder scored the winning goal in the FA Cup final against City in 2024 and has lived this rivalry for his entire life, having grown up in the blue heartlands of Stockport.
But Mainoo doesn’t just need to play against City; he needs a major role and to be given plenty of responsibility for the rest of the season and beyond. The 20-year-old is one of the most talented midfielders England has produced in the last few years, and Amorim needs to repair the damage in their relationship and learn to get the best out of him, starting with Sunday at the Etihad.
