Why Amorim should keep Zirkzee but sell Garnacho and three other Man Utd stars who do not suit his 3-4-3 formation

YOU do not need to be a rocket scientist to realise that Ruben Amorim is having a rough time as manager of Manchester United.

While they still have a change of winning the Europa League, their chances of claiming a domestic trophy are gone and their league form has been woeful.

The attention for Amorim and his coaching staff will now turn to deciding which players he can use going forward and, more specifically, which players he can fit into his 3-4-3 system.

Since he took over from Erik ten Hag and then-interim Ruud van Nistelrooy, every Man Utd player has effectively been auditioning for their future.

Some players appear to have slotted straight into Amorim’s 3-4-3 system, while others look remarkably out of their depth.

In this article, we look at eight players to decide whether they will be kept at the end of the season or moved on.

Keep

Is there a more polarising player in the Premier League than Bruno Fernandes?

Fernandes has emerged as a clear leader for club and country but some still point to the inconsistent parts of his game as a criticism.

He does turn the ball over more than most top midfield players but this is because he looks so often for the final ball or for the line-breaking pass to move United forward and through the thirds.

The problem with Fernandes in the 3-4-3 Amorim wants to use is there is no natural position for him.

Initially he was used as one of the two advanced players behind the striker, but having him in this role limited how effective he could be.

In recent weeks we have seen Fernandes moved back to play as one of the deeper midfielders and his performances have improved.

With Fernandes playing deeper you might lose some impact in the position defensively but Man Utd will become more capable and effective in their building of the attack.

It is likely we will continue to see Amorim use Manuel Ugarte as the partner to Fernandes in the deep midfield positions.

The Uruguayan signed for United in the summer from PSG but he already had a leg up on his preparations having already played for Amorim at Sporting Lisbon.

Ugarte offers the defensive instincts and the range needed to provide effective cover for a more ball playing deep midfielder like Fernandes.

He has not necessarily stood out in terms of his technical ability or ball playing but his defensive output means that he will continue to be in Amorim’s plans going forward.

Joshua Zirkzee is another who, like Fernandes, has benefited from a change of role in the United team.

He was a big money signing from Bologna in Serie A in the summer but he was signed as a striker.

This was a classic case of the buying club not understanding the profile of a player.

Zirkzee scored goals last season in Serie A but he is very much a second striker or number 10 type.

In recent weeks we have seen Zirkzee moved into a deeper position, as one of two advanced midfielders behind the striker.

Here, he receives the ball and can use his strength to hold off defenders while combining and helping to build up the attack.

Playing deeper gives Zirkzee more freedom and he makes intelligent runs to break the last line or to find pockets of space in which he can receive the ball.

These movements allow United to be more effective when it comes to moving the ball forward.

The question will be whether Amorim continues to give the Dutch forward the minutes he needs to fully establish himself in this position.

The final player that we see as being a keep for next season is Rasmus Hojlund.

The Dane is another who was a big money addition when he was signed from Atalanta.

He has everything you would want from a modern striker in his size, athleticism and the power he can generate on his shots but he has still not fully convinced.

For that reason we think Hojlund will be kept but perhaps not as the first-choice striker.

One of the biggest issues for Amorim is Hojlund simply does not get enough shots away and in the 3-4-3 system that is perhaps the biggest requirement for the main striker.

Hojlund shows a tendency to come short when he needs to stay high, and he is not making enough runs to attack space behind the line.

He is still only 22 years old and he has shown the traits needed to be a striker at the top-level.

It will be interesting to see whether Amorim instructs the recruitment department to find a striker with a similar profile that will allow Hojlund to have more rest and to be able to come in in games when opposition defences are tired.

Time to move on

There is no doubt there are some players who will have to move on next season from United.

The performances this season have come nowhere near to meeting the expectations of the board or the fans.

While it is fair to say Zirkzee is showing promise as one of the two advanced midfielders in the 3-4-3 system, the same is not necessarily true of Alejandro Garnacho.

He is one of the most divisive players amongst United fans. Some love his ability to create goal scoring chances while others are frustrated at his decision making.

It is this decision making as one of the attacking players in the 3-4-3 that is likely to see his position in the squad going forward under threat.

Too often Garnacho takes possession and ignores potential passing options to try to attack the defender 1v1, often with Patrick Dorgu bombing down the outside.

While he does have the ability to do this effectively his final action, some aspects of his game, especially shooting, can let him down.

The potential sale of Garnacho is also something is attractive to the ownership at United as he is an academy graduate and any sale would represent pure profit for the club.

One of the most high profile of the players that we believe are likely to be moved on is United goalkeeper Andre Onana.

When Onana was signed from Inter it was on the back of some superb shot-saving performances in the Champions League.

Unfortunately for United the performances from Onana have been inconsistent at best.

He has made a number of high profile errors and although he has also made some top saves in that time, United need a goalkeeper that can be relied upon.

Onana has made too many high profile mistakes and we believe that he will be moved on by Amorim this coming summer.

The same can be said of Harry Maguire with the England defender being given more consistent game time in recent weeks to stake a claim for a place over the longer term at Old Trafford.

Maguire, however, is very similar to Onana in that he makes too many mistakes to play in the back line of a team that wants to challenge towards the top of the table.

He is not as impressive on the ball than people used to think and his decision making defensively can get him into trouble.

Matthijs de Ligt is likely to get the call to play as the central defender in the back three going forward.

Maguire is a central defender who has the frame to be dominant but not the mindset. A move for him is almost certainly on the cards.

The final player we believe Amorim will want to move on this coming summer is perhaps the most surprising – Lisandro Martinez.

Martinez is one of the few players in recent seasons that you could argue has been a ‘good’ signing.

There are still issues around his profile under Amorim though.

First of all his availability through injury has been poor with a lot of time spent on the sidelines.

Secondly, his profile does not fit tactically.

Amorim needs wide central defenders who can step into midfield and play more aggressive passes to help his team to move the ball through the thirds.

Too often Martinez is passive in possession and with Amorim wanting to use three players on the back line his central defenders need to be aggressive in possession of the ball

Conclusion

All of this comes within the context of cost-cutting at the club as the owners try to get finances under control.

United need a rebuild but their recruitment in recent seasons has been largely poor.

The period between now and the end of the season will be key for players to convince the management that they deserve a space in the squad next season.