Is there anything nice to say about Manchester United these days?

Very little has changed about Manchester United’s results or underlying numbers since Ruben Amorim was brought in to replace Erik ten Hag. Some players have changed positions while others have been shipped out entirely, and the team has changed to a 3-4-3 shape, but they’re still the same old Man United.

They don’t create a lot of chances, concede a lot of comedy goals, and they’re anywhere between the 12th and 15th best team in the league from week to week depending on the luck and vibes of that particular timeframe. Under most circumstances, this would have the United manager facing some pretty intense scrutiny.

But the team sucks, and the owner knows it. Chairman Jim Ratcliffe has made it clear that Amorim is still going to be around at the start of next season:

While United might have a bunch of Premier League games that feel dead rubber to them, they’re going to have a significant effect on the outcome of some very consequential races. On Tuesday, United takes on Nottingham Forest, who are fighting to hang on to a Champions League place. Ted likes Forest to win, despite some serious fitness concerns.

And that’s why I wanted to do a little United check-in today. What’s actually going well under Amorim, and what’s going to be a big problem for United heading into the summer?

The good: Bruno Fernandes at CM

Fernandes has spent most of his United career as a central attacking midfielder, almost playing as a second striker occasionally under ten Hag. Amorim first tried out Fernandes as one of his “wide” forwards, though clearly giving him the freedom to drift inside, and it didn’t go very well.

But Fernandes has shifted into the double pivot recently, usually alongside Manuel Ugarte, and he’s having a massive impact from a deeper position. His lack of defensive work puts quite a bit of pressure on his partner, but the trade-off might be worth it. Here’s what Fernandes has done over his last three Premier League matches (not even including his man of the match performance against Real Sociedad in Europa League).

Actual good teams that utilize a double pivot structure usually want both members of that midfield partnership to do a bit of everything, but one with a genuinely great playmaker and a genuinely great ball-winner — even if neither player has the other skill — is a significant improvement for United.

The mid: Alejandro Garnacho, Andre Onana

Early in his United tenure, Amorim benched Garnacho and publicly challenged him to show a better attitude. Garnacho was reportedly shopped around during the transfer window, and Napoli considered buying him for something in the £40-50m range, before he and Amorim settled their differences.

Garnacho has been first choice since late January, and well… he’s not playing any better than he did before that. Much worse, actually. He’s looking like a bit more of a team player, sure, but I’m not sure that’s a good thing? His shot quality has tanked.

There’s no question that Garnacho is a talented young player and the least of United’s myriad problems, but it’s still a bit concerning that he’s taken a step backwards under a manager who’s still going to be here next season.

Also getting a big fat ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ from me is Andre Onana, who is perfectly OK but nothing special.

Onana seems to be a frequent subject of United fan discourse, with many insisting he’s underrated and others positing that he’s crap and the team needs a new goalkeeper. I think he is a smidge above mid, which is to say, good enough for right now. United have much bigger problems. They can roll with Onana for one more season while they address everything else.

The ugly: Strikers, Leny Yoro

Do you guys remember when Manchester United were looking into signing Usain Bolt? He had some training sessions with the club as a PR stunt/maybe to see if he could actually play football, and he just did not have professional-level touch or ability to read the game. But obviously he was fit and fast as hell.

This is what it would have looked like if United had actually fielded Usain Bolt at striker. Exactly this. 95th percentile pressures, nothing else of value. I did the Spongebob MY EYES thing irl when I saw this.

Man United has in excess of £120m in fees and wages invested into these two dudes. Beyond appalling. If they want to move on, I have no idea how they’re going to show a profit for PSR reasons on either. Zirkzee at a £29m sale to show a zero on the books seems possible, but Højlund would require around £38m and uhh… oof. Not happening.

Leny Yoro, meanwhile, has missed 154 days due to three separate injuries and illnesses this season, according to Transfermarkt. When he has played, he’s not looking great.

I liked Yoro a lot at Lille. Even though I thought a £60m fee was an overpay for him, I also believed he’d develop into a very solid player for United. I still think that’s his most likely path. He got dealt a terrible hand — a serious ankle injury right when he showed up, then he returned to a completely different tactical system. But there’s no denying that he’s struggled, and given the amount of money invested in him, this is really scary.

The TBD: Ayden Heaven

A bonus bit of optimism! 18-year-old Ayden Heaven has only started one Premier League game, and only has about 180 minutes of professional football between the Prem and Europa League to look at, so his data is pretty irrelevant at this point. But he looked extremely promising in all 3 of his appearances, and is expected to be available against Forest. I’m looking forward to seeing a lot more of him before the end of the season.

—KM

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