Five Man Utd players who could suffer from Ruben Amorim being appointed as next manager

Manchester United have appointed Ruben Amorim as the club’s new head coach – and he will make a lot of changes at Old Trafford.

United will be hoping Amorim can turn their fortunes around, with the club currently 14th in the Premier League table after a poor start to the season under Erik ten Hag.

His arrival will be welcomed by a number of United stars, although some of their players will be worrying about their futures at the club.

We’ve taken a look at five United players who could struggle under Amorim’s management.

Casemiro

Despite signing Manuel Ugarte from Paris Saint-Germain in a £50.8million deal in the summer transfer window, Ten Hag showed a lot of loyalty to Casemiro.

The Brazil international started eight of Ten Hag’s 14 games in 2024/25 and scored the last goal of his tenure in the 2-1 defeat against West Ham United.

“He’s a great player,” Ten Hag said after Casemiro’s error-strewn display against Liverpool. “We will continue this season to improve the team and the players.

“He improved and has shown so often that he is a great character. He has won everything in his career. We all have seen great moments from him and him be decisive in midfield. He will show that again and will bounce back.”

But the 32-year-old may lose his place in the side under Amorim, who will look to implement a high-intensity pressing game at Old Trafford.

Amorim’s central midfielders are asked to cover a large amount of ground and Casemiro’s lack of mobility has left him exposed in recent months.

The manager will probably turn to Ugarte, who made 85 appearances under him during a two-year stint at Sporting and is renowned for his all-action style.

Christian Eriksen

After playing a bit-part role for United in the 2023/24 season, Eriksen has enjoyed a resurgence in form in recent weeks.

The Denmark international has registered four goals and three assists in 11 appearances in all competitions this season.

While his technical skills and playmaking ability will appeal to Amorim, the 32-year-old might not have the required energy and legs to work in his system.

Eriksen won just 46.1 per cent of his attempted tackles in the Premier League last season and was dribbled past 21 times. He also managed just 0.3 interceptions per 90 league minutes in 2023/24.

The midfielder is out of contract at the end of the 2024/25 season and TEAMtalk understands that Amorim has no desire to offer him an extension.

When Eriksen and Amorim were rivals…#UEL pic.twitter.com/dXx2GlLqmq

— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) November 1, 2024

Mason Mount

Mount has endured an injury-plagued start to his United career, making just 11 starts and 14 substitute appearances in all competitions in the last 15 months.

But even when fit, the England international struggled to nail down a regular position under Ten Hag and was often left on the substitutes bench.

A reunion with former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel or former England manager Gareth Southgate may have helped Mount rediscover his best form but United have now appointed Amorim.

If the manager implements his favoured 3-4-3 formation at Old Trafford, an attacking player will drop out of the United team and competition for places will intensify.

The 25-year-old will be competing for one of the two inside-forward positions with the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Amad Diallo, Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and Antony.

Antony

Having worked with Antony at Ajax, Ten Hag brought the winger to Old Trafford in the summer of 2022 in a deal worth an initial £80.75million.

He failed to justify that price tag and has registered just 12 goals and five assists in 87 appearances for United, although Ten Hag kept faith in him.

“With Antony, I backed him for a long time,” he said. “I know his abilities, great abilities, I know from the past he is unstoppable, no defender can stop him because he’s one of the quickest in the first 10 yards.

“When he plays that game I’m sure he will perform. He’s resilient, he’s a character and he will fight back.”

Ten Hag’s departure has seen the Brazil international lose a key ally at Old Trafford, and he will get fewer opportunities under Amorim.

The manager’s 3-4-3 formation doesn’t suit traditional wingers and the width in this system is predominantly provided by the wing-backs.

According to reports, the 24-year-old has already been told he can leave in the January transfer window as Amorim is not planning to utilise him.

Joshua Zirkzee

Zirkzee arrived at Old Trafford in the summer after United agreed to sign him from Serie A side Bologna in a deal worth £36.5million.

The 23-year-old striker – who describes himself as a 9.5 – caught Ten Hag’s attention with his impressive technical skills.

“He is a player who can link up the game,” Ten Hag said. “Who can be available, hold up the ball, have good ideas, be creative, can dribble, [make] combinations.

“So that’s a different type and always what we are looking for, so it gives us more options tactically, which is good because, especially up front, we have many players who can play very direct and they can take a big benefit from his skills.”

But he’s endured a difficult start to the 2024/25 season, registering just one goal and two assists in his first 14 appearances in all competitions.

Amorim prefers to play with a more traditional centre forward who can stretch defences with probing runs in behind, making Rasmus Hojlund a more natural fit for his United side.

The manager could also look to sign Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting and that would push Zirkzee even further down the pecking order.

READ MORE: How Man Utd could line up under Ruben Amorim: Big names dropped and three centre-backs start