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    How Ruben Amorim will resurrect Marcus Rashford’s Man United career with subtle position change and new-look starting XI

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    RUBEN AMORIM can not only solve Marcus Rashford’s form struggles but turn him into one of the Premier League’s best again. Yet Rashford must first buy into a fresh 3-4-3 philosophy, accept a subtle positional change and desert his love for the left-wing. Amorim is expected to quickly instil the same coaching philosophy that earned him two Primeira Liga titles at SportingCredit: GettyMarcus Rashford is set to flourish in a new role under AmorimCredit: GettyHe has worked with a number of senior stars ahead of the Ipswich gameAmorim’s first session provided plenty of insight into his plansWith many United players spending time away on international duty, including Rasmus Hojlund, Rashford would be wise to make use of the extra time spent on the training ground with new boss Amorim.The 27-year-old has endured some topsy-turvy years after he burst onto the scene in 2016, failing to hit the heights of his 2022-23 season where he scored 30 goals in all competition.Amorim, 39, is tasked with bringing Rashford’s magic touch back, with the forward scoring just once in 12 Prem games this season. But how will the new manager, with the confidence of Jose Mourinho and the flare of Pep Guardiola, bring the best of out of Rashford?READ MORE ON MAN UTDMarcus Rashford’s resurrection A player of Rashford’s quality shouldn’t be written off, but the United academy star must open his heart up to a 3-4-3 formation. Rashford must let go of his hopes of hanging out on the left-hand side, as Amorim will NOT use two out-and-out wingers, but will instead play with an attacking left-wing back.Amorim looks set to build two differently profiled so-called No 10s – and Rashford must become one alongside captain Bruno Fernandes.Fernandes’ talents mean he’ll pick up the ball-playing No 10 role, leaving Rashford as the driving central player, who runs off the No 9.Most read in FootballWinger Rashford must become a No.10 – but not necessarily a ball-playing oneMeanwhile, Rashford could also be reinvented as a central striker with two close 10s to support him, but Hojlund is more likely to thrive in this role.The England star is used to playing in a 4-3-2-1 formation or as a striker in counter attacking side, so things will have to change.But if Rashford buys into it early, and focuses on more assists than goals, the United will have a Carrington graduate playing an important role in the club’s future.A look at the build-up to Ruben Amorim’s first match in charge of Man Utd With Hojlund stretching the defence, a channel will appear for Rashford to run intoAmorim’s 3-4-3 formationAmorim has a clear identity. And it seems almost certain that the Portuguese tactician will bring in his winning 3-4-3 structure to M16.He likes his teams to play through the thirds and to dominate possession when moving the ball out from the back.Hojlund, a player United haven’t made the best use of, will likely be deployed at No 9.At Sporting, the formation and style has been built around a mobile, big, physical runner Viktor Gyokeres – and Hojlund can ease into that role.Fernandes, Lisandro Martinez, Matthijs de Ligt, Casemiro, Kobbie Mainoo and Manuel Ugarte all slot into their respective roles. United are set to adopt Amorim’s preferred 3-4-3 formationAnd £52million summer signing Leny Yoro has been spotted training at the right hand side of the back three in training clips this week. What is more constant is that in his 3-4-3 formation, attacking wing-backs are key in all thirds of the pitch.Amorim has used two defensive midfielders to cover for his wing-backs – who push high up the pitch and stay wide to form a 3-4-2-1.This also allows his two attacking midfielders to drop into pockets behind a lone striker while still stretching the opposition’s backline.Wing and a prayerAmorim places his wing-backs right up in the attacking areas of the pitch, giving them full freedom of in the flanks.It will become a 3-2-5 in attack, where the wing-backs are expected to push up in different profiles.Alejandro Garnacho, Amad Diallo and even Antony could be eased into a wing-back role, as all three have the ability to take on their man in a 1 v 1. Amorim likes his teams to play through the thirds and to dominate possession when moving the ball out from the back.For the non-byline running full-backs, Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui can invert to play in the inside channel when attacking.Amorim likes to have his wing-backs playing high up the pitchWhile Dalot and Mazraoui are set to star in a more inverted role when playingAndre Onana’s gameErik ten Hag bought Andre Onana for £43.7m on the basis of his ability to play out of the back, but the Dutchman couldn’t find a way to utilise David de Gea’s replacement.Onana will be asked to play into the midfield’s feet, who are expected to take the ball on the half-turn and push up the pitch.In training this week, there were no long balls to be seen.It looks like the out-field players will be limited to only two touches before passing it in a zig-zag if they can’t turn, until a channel of space opens up. Goalkeeper Andre Onana should unleash his ball-playing abilitiesMuch has been made of Andre Onana’s ability to play it out from the back with his feetCredit: GettyMainoo main manKobbie Mainoo has the ability to be United’s main ball-playing central midfielder.With the Red Devils looking to start from defence, Mainoo’s role as a deep playmaker has become even more important.Just 18 months after his first run-out against Charlton Athletic in the League Cup, he was starting the final of Euro 2024. The 19-year-old has the ability to dip his shoulder.Mainoo fits in nicely next to all-action Manuel Ugarte, who prefers to be tasked with breaking up play. Ugarte will be well aware of the system used by Amorim having played 85 times under the Portuguese coach in Lisbon, where he started 61 matches.Kobbie Mainoo returned to training this weekCredit: GettyAmorim appears to have taken an immediate shine to Mainoo in training his week, with the pair spotted chatting on several occasions.But all players will expected to get up and down quickly and bust a gut to get back, which has not been witnessed in United games of late. READ MORE SUN STORIESBut the amount of sprinting required could spell the end for Casemiro, who at 32 years old seems to have lost his legs.Nonetheless, the Real Madrid legend has stepped up in his dressing room role in recent week.Amorim was always encouraging his players where to run to in training this weekRuben Amorim is ‘Mourinho 2.0’ who turned Sporting from ‘walking dead’ into Portuguese champs… he can revive Man UtdWHEN Ruben Amorim took charge of Sporting Lisbon in March 2020, one club official compared their situation to the “walking dead”, writes Jordan Davies.Optimism and hope was at an all-time low.But the Amorim-effect was almost instantaneous, guiding the Portuguese sleeping giants to their first league title for 19 years in 2020/21, losing just once and only conceding 20 goals.Since then, Sporting have lifted another league title in 2023/24 – as well as two League Cups – and currently sit top with nine wins from nine this term.He may be young, but Amorim already has an eye for rebuilding and revitalising fallen super powers with his infectious charisma and intense tactical philosophy that hardly ever wavers. The “walking dead” at Manchester United must be praying for a similar sort of revival.And they may just get it from one of the most talented young coaches on the continent – a man accustomed to breathing new life back into crumbling institutions such as Old Trafford.Amorim has spent the last decade dreaming of one day gracing England’s Premier League, such was his admiration for an ex-United boss in Jose Mourinho growing up.Often nicknamed ‘Mourinho 2.0’, Amorim spent a week with his coaching idol in an internship capacity at United’s Carrington training base in 2018, going on to cite him as his “reference point”.United should not be expecting a mini-Mourinho, as Amorim said himself: “Mourinho is one of a kind. There won’t be another Mourinho. Mourinho is unique.”And yet, you cannot help but compare the two.For all the mismanagement in the Old Trafford hot seats over the years, this would be a real get – finally a slap in the face United’s Prem rivals have no answer for. More

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      Three winners and three losers as Ruben Amorim immediately makes his mark on Man Utd ahead of first game vs Ipswich

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      RUBEN AMORIM has sparked a lot of excitement before he has even taken charge of his first game as Manchester United manager.The two-time league winner with Sporting Lisbon saw his team beat Manchester City 4-1 in the Champions League before departing at the start of the international break to take over at Old Trafford.Ruben Amorim has been getting to grips with his new Man Utd squad in their first training sessionsCredit: GettyKobbie Mainoo, Amad Diallo and Marcus Rashford are among those who Amorim has already worked withCredit: GettyRashford is set to be one of the big winners under the Amorim regimeCredit: RexBut the new change of coach could be bad news for Joshua ZirkzeeCredit: GettyThe 39-year-old has drawn many similarities to ex-Red Devils manager Jose Mourinho, particularly in his demeanour.This is something which SunSport revealed has left stars “blown away” even before he took his first training session at Carrington with stars who are not on international duty.However, to add to the excitement before the Portuguese tactician makes his bow on Sunday against Ipswich, the club released a video of him taking training that has gone viral on social media.But we actually don’t need a video to know what players will benefit and who may find themselves out in the cold. READ MORE IN FOOTBALLThroughout his career so far at Casa Pia, Braga and Sporting, Amorim has favoured a 3-4-3 shape with two so-called No 10s rather than wingers.Below, we consider which three players are likely to benefit from the new tactical approach and which three players will find playing time hard to come by under Amorim.Winner: Bruno FernandesBruno Fernandes joined Man Utd from Sporting in January 2020 only months before Amorim arrived in Lisbon, and has been a talismanic figure at Old Trafford since.The 30-year-old has made no secret of the fact he still considers himself a fan of the Portuguese club.Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSThis means that out of all of the squad at United, he is the one who probably best understands what Amorim is all about from a tactical point of view.When Amorim was first announced as the new coach at United there was an immediate sense that Fernandes would be one of the players most at threat from a tactical perspective. Ruben Amorim gives first Man Utd interview and reveals number one priority to revive fallen giantsAfter all, he does not fit as one of two deeper midfielders and there was an initial understanding that Amorim favoured wingers as the main support for the main striker. Instead, given Amorim prefers to use two narrow 10s behind the striker who have freedom to drift and move, this suddenly feels like the perfect role for Fernandes to fill at United.Bruno Fernandes will be able to get into zones where he is most effective like he managed against LeicesterA free role in the final third of the pitch is where Fernandes has thrived since arriving in England, with his maverick approach to attacking too unpredictable for defenders to read.We fully expect to see Fernandes continue to be one of the most important attacking players at United going forward.Winner: Manuel UgarteIf Fernandes is likely to benefit from an understanding of Amorim’s game mode, then arguably Manuel Ugarte has an even bigger benefit in that he previously played for Amorim in Lisbon.He made the initial move to Paris Saint-Germain following his time in Portugal and then moved to United this summer after struggling to adapt to life in Ligue 1 – though still had the most tackles per 90 from anyone in the league with at least 900 minutes played.Amorim has a clear preference for playing a two-man double pivot in the midfield with two players who are combative but comfortable covering a lot of ground. This is essentially the perfect role for Ugarte who is not the most progressive passer or most attacking of midfielders.Manuel Ugarte will be expected to cover a lot of ground, which he is used to from his time at SportingInstead, he is at his best when working to break up play and cover space before playing it simply when he does take possession of the ball.Ugarte has shown more of what he can do paired with Casemiro in a two-man midfield under Ruud van Nistelrooy, and more of the same can be expected doing forward as he will likely become the key midfielder enforcer for United under Amorim.Winner: Marcus RashfordWhile the more central positions the two most advanced midfielders will take under Amorim will be beneficial to the likes of Fernandes, it is less clear how this will affect Alejandro Garnacho, Amad Diallo, Antony and Marcus Rashford. The aforementioned training video appeared to show Rashford leading the attack as a central striker in a training drill.With neither Rasmus Hojlund nor Joshua Zirkzee really impressing so far this season, the positioning of Rashford as a true No 9 may be a move of genius.While Rashford is not the most comfortable when playing with his back to goal and looking to link the play and bring others into the game, he is dangerous with his movement when looking to make runs to attack space in behind. Ruben Amorim is ‘Mourinho 2.0’ who turned Sporting from ‘walking dead’ into Portuguese champs… he can revive Man UtdWHEN Ruben Amorim took charge of Sporting Lisbon in March 2020, one club official compared their situation to the “walking dead”, writes Jordan Davies.Optimism and hope was at an all-time low.But the Amorim-effect was almost instantaneous, guiding the Portuguese sleeping giants to their first league title for 19 years in 2020/21, losing just once and only conceding 20 goals.Since then, Sporting have lifted another league title in 2023/24 – as well as two League Cups – and currently sit top with nine wins from nine this term.He may be young, but Amorim already has an eye for rebuilding and revitalising fallen super powers with his infectious charisma and intense tactical philosophy that hardly ever wavers. The “walking dead” at Manchester United must be praying for a similar sort of revival.And they may just get it from one of the most talented young coaches on the continent – a man accustomed to breathing new life back into crumbling institutions such as Old Trafford.Amorim has spent the last decade dreaming of one day gracing England’s Premier League, such was his admiration for an ex-United boss in Jose Mourinho growing up.Often nicknamed ‘Mourinho 2.0’, Amorim spent a week with his coaching idol in an internship capacity at United’s Carrington training base in 2018, going on to cite him as his “reference point”.United should not be expecting a mini-Mourinho, as Amorim said himself: “Mourinho is one of a kind. There won’t be another Mourinho. Mourinho is unique.”And yet, you cannot help but compare the two.For all the mismanagement in the Old Trafford hot seats over the years, this would be a real get – finally a slap in the face United’s Prem rivals have no answer for.This is the role that we are likely to see for Rashford under Amorim. At Sporting, we saw Viktor Gyokeres score an incredible number of goals under Amorim playing as a striker who wants to pull on the shoulder of the last defender and make runs beyond to attack space. With Rashford set to be a more central option going forward, his on-the-shoulder runs should prove effective in Amorim’s systemRashford is likely to have a similar profile as the main striker which may allow him to fully realise his potential and become a key attacking player at United.Being reinvented as a central striker with two close 10s to support him may see Rashford regain his form in front of goal.Loser: Joshua ZirkzeeThis one may come as something of a surprise given the fact Zirkzee only moved to United this summer from Bologna.Zirkzee is a forward who is very much more comfortable when dropping into deeper positions to support in the midfield and link the play in deeper areas. In this regard, he is almost the exact opposite to Rashford or Hojlund who are more aggressive attacking players.Zirkzee has struggled to fully establish himself as an attacking player at United so far this season, with just one goal to his name on his debut against Fulham.Indeed, there has been a lot of talk in recent weeks about the possibility of Zirkzee making a move back to Serie A on loan. For the attacking shape and system under Amorim to work fully he needs a more aggressive striker who will play on the shoulder of the last defender and threaten to attack space behind the defensive line with space. Zirkzee’s style of linking the midfield means he does not fit being the lead striker in Amorim’s systemWith Rashford and Hojlund playing as central strikers it is likely Zirkzee will struggle for game time in that position going forward under Amorim.Although, given Amorim is known to be flexible with the players at his disposal, and may see fit to retrofit Zirkzee as one of his two No10s in an effort to get the best out of him.Loser: Christian EriksenFor this choice we could have gone with either Christian Eriksen or Casemiro. Both are midfielders that are coming closer to the end of their careers than the start and neither are well known, at this stage in their career at least, for their mobility in central areas. The tactical system used by Amorim will often see the two central midfielders outnumbered centrally.Consequently, they will be expected to cover a great deal of space in both the defensive and attacking phases of the game to compensate for this.This means that the likes of Ugarte and Kobbie Mainoo – who showed strong defensive stats before his injury this season – will be more suited to the style of play and the system than Eriksen. The Dane is still a good passer who can progress the play, break lines and bring value in the final third when breaking down teams playing in a deeper block. Christian Eriksen is prone to being exposed in midfield when left isolated to defend spaceThe issue is that the two more advanced midfielders will come inside and play in the areas Erkisen would typically look to occupy as he moved forward.Therefore, Eriksen will likely struggle to force his way into the team regularly, with Casemiro likely to be the first backup to Mainoo and Ugarte as the two midfielders.Loser: Alejandro GarnachoWith the change of system and game model under Amorim we will see a change in expectations and profiles of the players that will thrive under the Portuguese coach. This could mean a high profile player at United will struggle to get regular game time and nail down a specific role across the rest of the season. That player is Alejandro Garnacho. The 20-year-old winger has three goals and one assist in the league this season.But he is much more suited to a more traditional winger role where he is free to play in space and look to stretch opposition defences with his pace.Under Amorim, as we have already touched upon, the likes of Bruno Fernandes fit the profile of advanced and attacking midfielders.But Garnacho is more of an individual player than one who looks to connect and combine with teammates. While Garnacho is likely to be tried in this role we believe that it is unlikely that he will be effective given that he wants to play on the shoulder of the defenders to make runs to attack space, and this is the role of the striker under Amorim. There is an argument that Garnacho could also be used as wing-back but we do not believe that he would be strong here given his lack of defensive instincts.Garnacho is wide on the left against Leicester and has three options to combine with teammates but tries to drive to the line in possession and is easily dispossessedWe believe that under Amorim it is likely that Garnacho will be played in the first instance but given his specific profile we believe that he is likely to drop out of the starting team in the short to medium term.READ MORE SUN STORIESConclusionAt this stage of their career at United, it is likely Amorim and his coaching staff will be painstakingly assessing the squad to decide which players fit what they are looking to do.It will be interesting to see whether Amorim can conjure up any surprises for stars who could become a key part of his system.Ten Hag’s Man Utd signingsThe Dutchman has brought in 21 players since moving to Old Trafford in 20222022-23:Antony, (Ajax) £86mCasemiro, (Real Madrid) £70mLisandro Martinez, (Ajax) £46mTyrell Malacia, (Feyenoord) £13mChristian Eriksen, (Brentford) freeMartin Dubravka, (Newcastle) loanWout Weghorst, (Burnley) loanJack Butland, (Crystal Palace) loanMarcel Sabitzer, (Bayern Munich) loan2023-24:Rasmus Hojlund, (Atalanta) £72mMason Mount, (Chelsea) £60mAndre Onana, (Inter Milan) £47mSofyan Amrabat, (Fiorentina) loanAltay Bayindir, (Fenerbahce) £4.3mJonny Evans, (Leicester) freeSergio Reguilon, (Tottenham) loan2024-25:Leny Yoro, (Lille) £52mManuel Ugarte, (Paris Saint-Germain) £50mMatthijs de Ligt, (Bayern Munich) £45mJoshua Zirkee, (Bologna) £36.5mNoussair Mazraoui, (Bayern Munich) £12.8m More

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      Thomas Tuchel’s first England XI predicted as German expected to ditch the youngsters for Southgate stars

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      THOMAS TUCHEL has one job —  win the World Cup.It is wishful thinking to believe the incoming England manager will be particularly bothered about blooding more young players.Thomas Tuchel is set to embark on the biggest challenge of his managerial careerCredit: GETTY IMAGESThe fact Tuchel’s contract is for 18 months merely underlines that it is all about the present and not the future.Officially, he starts work on January 1 and, while he has exchanged texts with Lee Carsley, the pair will meet for the first time in the new year.They will reflect on Carsley’s six games as interim manager.With the draw for the World Cup qualifiers on December 13, they will be able to plan for 2025.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLWhile Sunday’s 5-0 win over Ireland showcased some of England’s rising stars, expect many of them to either take a back seat or return to the Under-21s with Carsley.Tuchel is certain to call on experience as he builds towards the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones will definitely have a part to play under the German.Left-footed left-back Lewis Hall, a rare species in England, also has a chance in the next squad, along with Morgan Rogers and Noni Madueke.Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSBut Morgan Gibbs-White, Tino Livramento and Taylor Harwood-Bellis will all have to be patient. Angel Gomes, currently at French club Lille, is out of contract at the end of the season and if he wants to remain on the Tuchel radar, might have to return to the Premier League.What will be a feature of the Tuchel regime is the German’s preference of sticking with tried-and-tested internationals who all played a part in the Gareth Southgate era.Thomas Tuchel ‘was NOT England’s first choice and Pep Guardiola could still get the job’Harry Maguire, axed from Carsley’s second squad, will surely return.Providing he can sort out his varying ailments, left-back Luke Shaw will be parachuted into Tuchel’s starting XI, as long as he does not injure himself again on landing.If he has a few injury issues in  central defence, it would hardly be a surprise if Tuchel turned to Eric Dier, who he signed from Tottenham in January while still  the manager of Bayern Munich.Dier, 30, who often kept Matthijs de Ligt out of the team at Bayern, would be oven-ready to be thrown into a Three Lions squad.The same applies to midfielder Mason Mount, providing he finally overcomes his issues with form and injuries at Manchester United.Under Tuchel, when he was Chelsea manager, Mount delivered the assist for Kai Havertz’s Champions League winner in the 2021 final against Manchester City.Taylor Harwood-Bellis may have to be patient for more England opportunitiesCredit: AlamyMason Mount played a huge role in Tuchel winning the Champions League with ChelseaCredit: GettyEqually, if he can sort himself out under new United manager Ruben Amorim, Marcus Rashford could still have a chance of returning to the England fold.Rashford’s relationship with the international team has been uneasy — and he used to frustrate Southgate with his withdrawals due to injury before playing in the next United game — but a record of 17 goals in 60 caps will not go unnoticed by Tuchel. And he is only 27.Clearly, Tuchel’s biggest challenge will be to get the right balance in midfield.We will not see a repeat of Carsley’s decision to try and fit Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka, Anthony Gordon and Cole Palmer into the same starting line-up like he did in the 2-1 home loss to Greece.’YOU’VE GOT A LOT OF GOOD PLAYERS’Interestingly, Carsley admitted that other national coaches believe this embarrassment of riches in a specific area is actually an issue for England.He said: “A lot of the international coaches at that Uefa thing I went to, at the debrief of Euro 2024, said, ‘You’ve got a lot of good players’ as if that’s a negative thing.“If they’re all in form at exactly the same time, then it’s a challenge but players do come in and out of form.”Tuchel knows he will have to take a firm grip of the team.The fact Jack Grealish and Bellingham took to social media to praise Carsley — while delivering clear digs at Southgate — illustrates that modern players can be hard to please and also have short memories.CAPTAINCY DILEMMAHigh on Tuchel’s to-do list will be the captaincy.The fact Tuchel signed Harry Kane from Spurs shows you exactly what he thinks of the country’s record goalscorer and the pair have a close bond.Whether Kane is a good captain is up for debate and Tuchel’s view on this will be fascinating.Many believe Bellingham should be England’s next leader but Declan Rice — who does seem to be more of a team player — might be better.Regardless, whether it is Kane, Bellingham or Rice who lifts the  trophy after the World Cup final, no one will care.READ MORE SUN STORIESBut whether Tuchel is able to get the team that far remains to be seen.What is beyond doubt is that the German is about to embark on the biggest challenge of his career.Tuchel knows Harry Kane well from their season together at Bayern MunichCredit: APJude Bellingham and Declan Rice could both be candidates for the captaincyCredit: Getty More