I didn't like the team that beat Liverpool ❌.
Let's just get that out of the way.
I know it's sounds negative because it played well and we got those deserved 3 points. A lot of those players performed superbly and should probably start against Brighton based on that performance.
However, I see NO future in it.
Let's be real, when we saw the lineup ahead of that trip to Anfield, no one was happy. I was feeling quietly confident that we could go there and get a positive result but admittedly, once that team was out, some of that confidence diminished.
The game ended up going the way it did and everyone who questioned Amorim's thinking with that XI was made to look foolish.
But I just want to point out to when he said this pre-match:
"It's to try and choose the best starting XI to win the game."
Even the manager acknowledged that he picked what he thought was the best team for this particular matched. It worked.
But will it always work is my question?
I did this post talking about United's best lineup but now I would like to look at our best lineup for these next three games before the November internationals. I find that after that Liverpool performance, it has sort of thrown a cat amongst the pigeons.
Does Amorim stick or twist with this team?
Defense
Lammens obviously has to stay in goal and I believe he will. I know our manager has the tendency to make changes that we all disagree with and in matches where we feel he should've done something different but I believe that the Belgian will be our starting GK moving forward. No more Bayindir 🙌.
De Ligt is our player of the season so far in my opinion. What he has done has gone unnoticed but almost every game, he delivers a 7/10 performance (at least). His quality as a defender is matched by a few in the league and he also has that leadership and experience that few in our squad possess. I find that I am also more confident knowing that the Dutchman is in that back three.
Shaw is another I expect to remain, at least until Martinez is available.
Just a quick update on the butcher, he was involved in a sort of light training session with some of the squad on Monday and is expected to be involved in full training this week. What a massive boost that is!
It will no doubt take time for him to get back up to speed with things after a long layoff with an ACL injury so for the time being, Shaw will keep his place. I feel that Amorim wants that left-footer as his LCB as it provides balance. Shaw is also very similar to Martinez in many ways: play style, build, good on the ball. Amorim also appears to have a bit of an affection towards the Englishman which is another reason as to why I believe he's played as much as he has.
Yoro could easily start in his place.
But this is where one of the problems with his selection comes in: what to do with the other centre-back?
For me, Yoro has to start. I think what he brings to the table in terms of pace, ability in possession, height, youth and allowing the team to push higher because of his speed, is not something any of the others can offer. He is also the future and we've seen just how good he is at 19 so we can only imagine how good he'll be in a couple of years.
On the other hand, Maguire has played well in the main this season. He's shown his character to come back from all that he's faced which is an example to us all in terms of how to overcome adversity of many different kinds.
This by Fabrizio Romano was very surprising 😳.
Harry also scored that late winner at Anfield just as he has done multiple times before. His clutch moments are one of the best I've seen.
Unlike Yoro though, Maguire doesn't really offer us too much in terms of how Amorim truly wants us to play. That high line is impossible with him because he's too slow which has cost us a couple of goals already. He cannot drive forward with the ball like the Frenchman and I don't feel as comfortable when he's the last man compared to Yoro or De Ligt.
Maguire is also 32-years-old meaning that he isn't the future. I believe we have to start moving away from these players if we truly want to progress.
It is perhaps the toughest choice for Amorim because like Shaw, he seems to admire Maguire very much yet Yoro allows the team to play a style that closer resembles what Amorim actually wants.
Midfield
Bruno will start. We all know he shouldn't as a no 8 even if he did have a decent performance at Anfield. There are just too many risks with him in that position but the manager is adamant on playing him in this deeper-lying role.
It's a question of who his best partner is.
I don't think it's Mainoo. This isn't because I don't rate him but because he should be that no 8 instead of the skipper. To have two players of similar ilk as your midfield pivot is asking for trouble. You need at least one CDM which neither of them are.
That leaves just Casemiro and Ugarte.
The Brazilian picked up an injury on Sunday so we'll have to wait and see whether he'll be availbale for the visit of Brighton. If he is, I've no doubt that he will start next to Bruno.
Should he is the question?
Casemiro is in a similar type of situation to Maguire: he's old (33), isn't the quickest, can't cover ground that much which he has to do even more of because of his il-disciplined parter in Bruno, gets booked far too often and can leave us exposed at times because he has no recovery pace.
While he does have the type of experience I would like some of our older players to possess, that doesn't really help the team.
The problem though, is Ugarte.
I actually like him. I don't think he's been that bad since joining but he is also very hit and miss. I sometimes don't know whether he's going to play for United or the opposition.
When you have such a contrast, can you truly trust a player?
Then again, I feel he is more capable of being that ideal partner to Bruno than Casemiro given the fact that Ugarte is quicker and can cover that ground better but lacks that experience and also gets booked as much as his Brazilian counterpart.
There's also the fact that Amorim doesn't seem to rate him when you look at those recent comments about the Uruguayan.
It is difficult to pick a solid midfield with those options. I just think he'll go with Bruno and Casemiro whenever they're available.
Wing-backs
Amad has proven to be the best choice at RWB. His performance at Liverpool was his best this season. He was contender for man of the match before he had to be hooked off for a yellow card.
He got the assist for Mbeumo's opener and should've had a second had Bruno taken that chance.
Amad may not be the best defensively but I believe the more he plays in this position, the more he'll start to improve in that aspect of his game. De Ligt was actually having to do a lot of defensive work by marking two players due to Amad not helping out at the back.
Whenever he did though, he showed that he can do the 'ugly' side of the game.
Going forward, there is no problem. He ticks all the boxes. I like the fact that as a natural winger, he keeps the width which stretches the play leaving him open a lot of the time. This means he's always an option and can isolate him against full-backs.
There also appears to be a connection developing between him and Mbeumo which makes things even greater still. The Cameroonian benefits from having the Ivorian in the team as well.
The LWB is the area of concern. I think it has become apparent that it is a high priority position to strengthen in either in January or the summer window.
Amorim does have his favourites and one of them is Dalot. Whether that's because he's Portuguese or Dalot having the right work ethic and professionalism, we all know the manager does like this player.
The issue has been that Dalot has been quite poor this season, probably our worst player. This hasn't stopped Amorim from selecting him so much so to the point where he's being moved out of position (LWB) and be shoe-horned into the side.
He is no left wing-back. In fact, he's no right wing-back either. He should be on the bench.
The only other option is Dorgu.
I do think the manager likes him but not as much as Dalot. When the game is bigger or more difficult, Amorim will opt for the Portuguese instead as was the case at Anfield.
Dorgu is another who is one for the future whereas Dalot is the past despite his age of just 26. The Dane provides us with more balance as he is left-footed. Both players have good engines to get up and down the pitch but with Dorgu, I find that we do tend to use the left flank a little more when he's there compared to Dalot.
However, Dorgu isn't the best in attack. His decision-making and overall quality is quite poor and it often leaves you frustrated. It's not as if Dalot is great either which is why it has become a problem area for United.
In the end though, Amorim has to go with Dorgu. He is better suited to that position although we won't have Dalot's long throw-ins which has become very important to Amorim.
Attack
Mbeumo and Cunha.
They have to be the two number 10s even if Mount has played well. I don't think there is any problems having the likes of Mount, Maguire and Dalot as options on your bench because they aren't the worst. They just aren't as good as others.
Mbeumo has been one of our players of the season and is our top scorer with 3 goals. I believe he is perfect for this system given his player profile as well as for his PL experience.
His performance at Liverpool was his best at United. I said that this was the game Cunha arrived at the club.
When almost everyone praises your performance in a game that had several top performers and you didn't score or assist, you must have done something sooooooo right.
How he can drive with the ball, how calm and composed he is in possession in all situations, that ability to draw defenders to him whilst keeping the ball because of how strong he is, and being able to relieve pressure, are abilities no one else in our squad possesses.
Cunha is also creative in terms of output even if he hasn't scored or assisted yet.
He is a maverick. He is the type of player you have posters of on your wall. Perhaps that benching in the win over Sunderland was precisely what he needed just to get fired up and knowing the character of the Brazilian, he would've been really upset at not playing.
Mount coming in for him in that match was correct even more so because he scored. Now that Cunha was back in the XI, he proved the manager correct as well.
I think a club like United needs players like Cunha. We haven't had this maverick in a long time and we don't see many of them anymore so to know that we have one is pretty damn great. He also has that PL experience which makes a big difference.
Up front has to be Sesko. I think we've seen what a difference he can make to the team because of his height, jump and just overall presence up front. His hold-up and link-up play has been key in getting players like Cunha, Mount and Mbeumo into the game as well.
Those 2 goals in two would've given him confidence however, it would've taken a hit after being dropped for Liverpool. Knowing the type of personality and character he is though, I have full faith in him bouncing back.
He gives us something different in attack as well and makes us play in a different style. With the long ball being important, Sesko provides that focal point which helps us out in the final third.
These three are also the future and are more reliable than Mount when looking at his poor injury history.
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So this is my team that I believe we should be selecting, for the next three games at least. It is a better and more balanced XI in my opinion and it's one looking to the future, not the past.
Do I think Amorim will do this? No, no I don't 😂. He never does what you think so always expect the unexpected but I do think some amendments need to be made.
He has however, put himself in a bit of a difficult situation: if he changes the side and we lose, people will ask why didn't he stick to a winning formula. If he doesn't change it and we lose, then people will want to know why certain changes weren't made.
These questions are valid because we all have no idea what Ruben Amorim's best lineup is. We just speculate and pick the XI we believe is best. That in itself is a problem because ideally by now, we should all have an idea of what his best team is but the fact that we are still in this area of uncertainty isn't great.
Do you think Amorim will make changes? Should he? What would be your best XI for the next three games?
Man Utd players celebrate 2-1 victory over Liverpool | Image via Manchester United official X (@ManUtd)
Ruben Amorim | Creator: Carl Recine | Credit: Getty Images Copyright: 2025 Getty Images via Goal