Reuben Amorim He will get his first taste of local derby Manchester United Coach this afternoon, when he takes his team to the Etihad to face Manchester City.
The Red Devils go into the game on the back of a 2-1 Europa League win over Viktoria Plzeň, but that is their goal. Premier League A look that caught attention for the wrong reasons.
His team lost Both of the last two games In England's top flight, they desperately want to end such a run against their noisy neighbors and claim bragging rights.
However, United have lost all three of their last trips to face Pep Guardiola's side, with Amorim wanting to make an immediate impact in the Manchester derby.
If he does so this afternoon, it looks like he will be without several key first-team members, making the task of getting three points a little tougher.
Fears of injury to Manchester United before facing Manchester City
Experienced centre-back Jonny Evans has played a small role since returning to Old Trafford last season, often covering the backline during defensive crunches.
However, yet He played six league matches So far, it looks like the 36-year-old will miss another game after suffering a knock in Amorim's opening match against Ipswich Town last month.
The backline could remain as it was on Thursday night, as Matthijs de Ligt, Lisandro Martinez and Noussair Mazraoui may face the task of keeping Erling Haaland quiet.
After an intense spell out injured, Luke Shaw has suffered another setback, with a recent hamstring injury ruling him out of the clash at the Etihad Stadium this afternoon.
The 29-year-old just made Two league matches So far, it's running for 68 minutes – highlighting his recent struggles at Dream Theater.
However, if the new manager wants to taste success against his local rivals, he must start a player in his natural role after dropping him to a slightly deeper role in the Czech Republic.
The player who will join the Man City team
Portuguese midfielder Bruno Fernandes He has often been the Red Devils' creative star over the past few years, producing some astonishing numbers in the process.
The 30-year-old was registered Eight combined goals and assists In his 15 league appearances this year, most have come in his natural attacking midfield role.
However, he has operated a little deeper alongside Casemiro in the heart of midfield, but if Amorim wants to give himself the best possible chance of causing an upset – he must return the former Sporting Lisbon star to his natural role.
the “arousingThe midfielder, as legend Paul Scholes called him, will step into City's squad, adding the creativity that Guardiola's men have sorely lacked in recent weeks – as evidenced by their tally of goals. Only five goals were scored In four matches.
When you compare his numbers to Kevin De Bruyne's during the 2024/25 season, he is More goal contributions were recordedwith age certainly catching up with the Belgian over the past couple of months.
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How Fernandes compares to City's strikers in terms of goals and assists in the Premier League (2024/25) |
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|---|---|
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player |
outcome |
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Erling Haaland |
14 |
|
Bruno Fernandes |
8 |
|
Bernardo Silva |
5 |
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Kevin De Bruyne |
4 |
|
Jeremy Doku |
4 |
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Savinio |
2 |
|
Jack Grealish |
1 |
|
Phil Foot |
1 |
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Statistics via Footmob |
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As you can see in the table above, the Portuguese star will slot straight into City's squad as an elite goalscorer and assister, given Haaland is the only player who has more contributions than him.
Fernandes has often been the man to get United out of trouble over the past two years, and he holds the keys to a potential win at the Etihad Stadium for the first time since 2021.
Local derbies always tend to spring surprises, and Amorim will be hoping that statement comes true by the final whistle later this evening – potentially serving as the catalyst for his tenure at the club.
