Ruben Amorim: Manchester United’s Squad Lacks Depth for Constant Rotation

This season, Manchester United’s prospects in the Premier League appear limited, particularly as their European campaign continues. Manager Ruben Amorim highlighted on Friday the squad’s constraints, indicating that they cannot afford to implement significant changes.

The tie for the Europa League quarter-finals remains finely poised following a 2-2 draw away to Olympique Lyonnais in the first leg, while United languish in 13th place in the league prior to their match against Newcastle United on Sunday.

Back in 2017, Jose Mourinho opted for extensive squad rotation in the Premier League during United’s successful Europa League run. When asked if he would take a similar approach, Amorim responded:

“Our squad isn’t large enough to do that, and we have some players who I know can’t last the full 90 minutes,” he stated to the press.

“At this moment, we need to be cautious, so we’ll look at all these factors ahead of the game against Newcastle. Every match carries significant responsibility for us.”

“Winning is sometimes the best preparation for the next game. I’ll be careful with some players, but we have to remain competitive — at Manchester United, you can’t approach a game with one eye on the next.”

Bruno Fernandes, the captain, has played every minute of the last 20 matches for United and might be one of the players Amorim considers resting against Newcastle.

“We’ll assess this based on all the data available,” Amorim commented.

“Bruno is consistently performing well, and sometimes players like him need to be on the pitch for every match.”

During the earlier encounter with Newcastle in December, forward Joshua Zirkzee was substituted after just 33 minutes in the 2-0 defeat, facing boos from fans.

Since that incident, the 23-year-old Dutchman has bounced back, scoring the winning penalty in an FA Cup shootout against Arsenal and finding the net in the draw with Lyon, as well as in the previous round against Real Sociedad. Amorim believes the supporters’ encouragement has played a crucial role in Zirkzee’s turnaround.

“He’s been doing a fantastic job, and the fans’ reaction during that tough moment was significant,” Amorim remarked.

“Whenever Josh steps on the pitch or even warms up, our fans sing his song, which is massive for him.”

Currently, United sit on 38 points, trailing fifth-placed Newcastle by 15 points, who have a game in hand.