Manchester United welcome Nottingham Forest to Old Trafford this evening, looking to get back to winning ways after boss Ruben Amorim suffered his first defeat as manager in midweek.
The Red Devils lost 2-0 to Arsenal at the Emirates, ending the 39-year-old's three-match unbeaten run after taking over from Erik ten Hag.
However, he is yet to lose a home game, looking to inflict back-to-back defeats on Nuno Espírito Santo's men in Manchester following their loss to Manchester City on the same evening.
A win tonight would put United ahead of the visitors in the Premier League ranking, closing the gap on the top four places – undoubtedly Amorim's goal at the end of the season.
If his team wants to return to winning ways, he must recall a player after being transferred to the north London bench a few days ago.
Why Amad must start against Forest
Following the appointment of the former Portuguese international, the team operated under the 3-4-2-1 system which saw him win two league titles during his time at Sporting CP.
Such a transition allowed many actors to play unfamiliar roles, with Amad Diallo just one of the beneficiaries in recent weeks.
The Ivorian arrived in Manchester as a winger, but has since moved back slightly to take up a right-back role, taking his performance levels above anything he had ever demonstrated in the North West .
In the three games since his switch, the 22-year-old has thrived, deliver three assists in just two league matches – including a perfectly weighted ball into the path of Marcus Rashford, who scored the first goal of the Amorim era against Ipswich.
However, despite his recent performances, he was named as a substitute against the Gunners, with Tyrell Malacia coming into the side – but it is a change that must be reversed once again this evening.
Most of the positive forwards in recent outings have come from the former Atalanta ace, with a booster needed alongside another key first-team star.
The player to remember alongside Amad
Academy graduate Kobbie Mainoo has made huge strides over the past 12 months, from making his debut to receiving an England call-up for Euro 2024 over the summer.
However, he is yet to demonstrate his best performance levels under the new management team, being left on the bench in two of the three games he was available for.
The 19-year-old started the match against Everton last weekend but received his fifth yellow card of the season, subsequently being handed a one-match ban for the match at the Emirates on Wednesday.
His suspension saw Bruno Fernandes move to a slightly deeper role alongside Manuel Ugarte, ultimately taking away the Portuguese international's creativity, with the United skipper producing his best performances when operating in a more advanced role, as reported. 'saw against the Toffees.
Such a move leaves a perfectly sized hole in the middle of the park for Mainoo, allowing the “world class“the ace, as journalist Ryan Adsett dubbed him, to terrorize Forest at Old Trafford.
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Kobbie Mainoo's Premier League stats for Man Utd (2024/25) |
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|---|---|
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Statistics |
Scoring |
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Games played |
8 |
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Minutes played |
654 |
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Success accuracy |
90% |
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Completed dribbles |
74% |
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Take on success |
81% |
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Duels won |
48 |
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Interceptions |
15 |
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Statistics via PhotoMob |
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During the first months of 2024/25 it completed 74% of dribbles he attemptedwhile achieving a success rate of 90%, two figures which could allow him to put on a show at the Théâtre des Rêves and terrorize visitors.
Indeed, Mainoo may be keen to try his luck against Ryan Yates and Nicolas Dominguez, with both men having struggled against City in midweek, having been beaten. dribbled four times between them at night.
It will be a tricky task against Nuno's men, who have had a superb start to the campaign, but in the end, Amorim's men should have the qualities to come out on top once again.
If they are to take all three points, Amad and Mainoo are two players who simply must start, potentially picking up where they left off in the previous home win.
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