
Manchester United
Premier League • England
Antony handed Man Utd lifeline as Amorim trials flop in brand new position and preferred XI is revealed

Manchester United winger Antony and new manager Ruben Amorim
Ruben Amorim is ready to spring a major surprise and plans to adopt a maverick selection in his preferred Manchester United line-up with the club’s £86m flop, Antony, set to be deployed in a new wing-back position for the Red Devils and with another forgotten star also set for a prominent role in his team.
A new era is underway at Old Trafford after Amorim was announced as the club’s replacement for Erik ten Hag at the start of this month and the sixth permanent manager since Sir Alex Ferguson retired back at the end of the 2012/13 season. Having inherited a squad that has badly underperformed and which currently sits in a lowly 13th place in the Premier League, Manchester United will hope the only way is up under their new Portuguese tactician.
Having won two Primeira Liga titles in four years at Sporting utilising his preferred 3-4-3 formation, Amorim is ready to introduce that approach at United and with multiple sources suggesting that will be their new way from the off, starting with Sunday’s match against Ipswich Town at Portman Road.
The likely system change has raised question marks over the quality of the United squad at Amorim’s disposal though, with the new boss likely to need to sign alternative players to help bring success back to the club and his formation to life.
In the meantime, Amorim will need to get inventive with the players he has at his disposal and, having taken charge of his first full training session on Monday, the Daily Mail has revealed Antony has been utilised in a surprise wing-back role.
During a practice match, Amorim selected his strongest possible XI with one eagle-eyed fan revealing he noticed Antony was being used in a new right-sided wing-back role.
‘One fan, an X (formerly Twitter) user with the handle ‘@utdrobbo’, was adamant that he had worked out the exact line-up of Amorim’s apparent ‘Team A’ on Monday,’ the Daily Mail reported.
‘After studying various clips, he deemed that Amorim had gone with Yoro, Jonny Evans and Shaw as his back three.
‘The midfield four was seemingly Antony, Casemiro, Kobbie Mainoo and Tyrell Malacia, with Amad Diallo, Rashford and Mason Mount as the three most attacking players.
‘Many United fans responded to @utdrobbo, commending him on his research, while multiple comments welcomed the idea of Rashford playing centrally as a No 9.’
IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS
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Antony lifeline at Man Utd explained; another star set for surprise role
It’s worth noting that Amorim did not have a full complement of players available to him, with the likes of Diogo Dalot, Bruno Fernandes and Rasmus Hojlund – all of whom are expected to feature in his thinking – still away on international duty and not due to return until later in the week.
With the United boss tending to rely on his wing-backs to provide the width and with his preference for using two No 10s behind the frontman, Fernandes is expected to play a leading role under his countryman. The same can also be said for Mount, and if the former Chelsea man can return to full fitness, he looks perfectly suited to shine in Amorim’s system.
Mount has made just 26 appearances since a £55m move from Chelsea in summer 2023, but his presence in training under Amorim this week will potentially hand him a long-awaited chance to prove exactly why Ten Hag forked out big money for his services.
However, it is the re-introduction of Antony to the side that has most stirred debate.
The Brazilian was a £86m capture from Ajax in Ten Hag’s first summer in charge, but he has struggled badly to adapt to life in the Premier League, managing just five appearances in all competitions so far this season.
But having dropped out of the thinking under Ten Hag, he could now be set for a surprise lifeline at Old Trafford. With many having expected Antony to be quickly shipped out – and having been told ‘to go home’ and having been branded one of their worst signings of all time – it would be a huge turn-up if Amorim could get a consistent tune out of the 24-year-old.
Brazilian journalist Jorge Nicola also claims to have spoken to Antony’s agent and they have stated the 12-times capped star will be given a more prominent role under Amorim, with talk of him departing being shut down.
“Speculation that comes from England, and the account that Lorran, a Flamengo player, is of interest to Manchester United,” he said on YouTube.
“From there, United could use Antony as a currency to hire the 18-year-old player. I confess that I found the story there weird, after all, Lorran is valued at €12m, and Antony was bought for €100m.
“Anyway, I thought it was better to look for Junior Pedroso, who is Antony’s representative, to know if there was any search, any inquiry if this story has any meaning. The answer was that Antony has no intention of leaving Manchester United.
“The club has just changed coach, Ruben Amorim, who was Sporting’s commander, was hired, was presented now at the FIFA date, and from there, a new possibility opens up for Antony to be better used.
“He has another two and a half years of contract with the English club and intends to continue.”
Man Utd transfer news: Two stars unlikely to feature under Amorim
Two stars who look unlikely to feature though too heavily under the new manager are Joshua Zirkzee and Christian Eriksen.
Netherlands forward Zirkzee joined United in a £36.5m deal over the summer but strong doubts have already been cast over both his ability to shine in the Premier League and his place in Amorim’s side.
To that end, a report on Tuesday morning claimed Zirkzee was being offered in a swap deal, along with a bundle of cash for Galatsaray’s on-loan Napoli striker Victor Osimhen.
Another high-profile United star destined to move on is Eriksen.
The Dane moved to Old Trafford on a free transfer from Brentford in 2022 and, while enjoying something of a return to form this season, is not expected to play too much of a leading role in Amorim’s side.
As a result, Fabrizio Romano has confirmed the club’s plans for Eriksen next year and why his exit is set to be green-lighted.
Elsewhere, one player seen as ideal for Amorim’s system is Bayern Munich wing-back Alphonso Davies and an update on Tuesday claims that Amorim sees the player as a ‘dream solution’ for his side and is desperate for United to humble Real Madrid and beat them to the Canadian’s services.
Antony’s numbers at Ajax compared to Man Utd
