Manchester United are advancing with their move for RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko as they look to sure up their attack for the new Premier League seasonRB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko is Manchester United’s top priority now(Image: Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Ruben Amorim, almost to a fault, is a man who sticks by his principles and Manchester United saw that first hand from mid-November 2024.
It is not a quality that would have shocked or concerned Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Omar Berrada or Jason Wilcox. In truth, this was the reason that United wasted little time trying to poach him from Sporting.
In Lisbon, Amorim was a manager who had his players believing in the philosophy, so why should he change that hardline approach now that he has arrived at United? Unfortunately, while he had a team of willing disciples in Portugal, north west England proved a more difficult nut for him to crack.
Several players were unwilling to get on board with the new way of thinking, and Amorim has managed to whittle those players out of this squad. To their credit, the United fanbase have hopped on board wholeheartedly with the 40-year-old’s ambitious 3-4-2-1 system.
However, an unwillingness to revert to the system this squad knew well or even a different one, which made them harder to beat, nearly lost all that goodwill.
After losing the Europa League final, Amorim’s reputation could have been left in tatters, particularly if in the summer he signed players that exclusively fitted his system, which struggled, albeit with a squad of unfamiliar players, last season.
Instead, Amorim has decided to invest heavily on versatility. Yes, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo can play as No.10s in a 3-4-2-1, but they can also play in a range of positions across the attacking midfield and forward line.
Should Benjamin Sesko join the duo, he would offer United an option to potentially play with a two-pronged attack when the situation calls for it.
While he has played in the 3-4-2-1 as recently as last season, the Slovenian is also more than familiar with a 4-4-2 and a 3-4-1-2 tactic, which could benefit United greatly.
Last season, the Reds were admittedly too one dimentional and it was severely to their detriment. This season, with the addition of Sesko, United will hope they can change that and provide more questions for their opponents.
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