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Ruben Amorim picked Man Utd star in position fans hoped to never see him again
Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim is fully committed to his three-at-the-back system.
One thing Manchester United fans have been desperate for, was to hire a head coach with a clear tactical identity.
And with Ruben Amorim, this is what we have. Amorim is set on his three centre-backs, and against Bodo/Glimt, this meant shifting some players around.
A desire to manage game-time, and get players minutes, led to midfield veteran Casemiro to drop back into defence once again.
Casemiro at centre-back
After signing Matthijs de Ligt and Leny Yoro in the summer, Manchester United added some depth to the centre-back department.
Also hoping for a clean slate with injuries, Manchester United fans hoped to have seen the very last of Casemiro at centre-back.
The Brazilian filled in at the position late last season, and had some tough moments, notably at home to Burnley and Arsenal.
But with Victor Lindelof, Jonny Evans, Harry Maguire and Leny Yoro unavailable to face Bodo/Glimt, and Lisandro Martinez’s minutes being carefully managed, there was a need for Casemiro to drop back and fill in as part of a three.
Casemiro’s performance managed to impress former United defender Wes Brown, who told MUTV’s matchday review he likes him there.
Brown said: “I’ll tell you what, Casemiro, I liked him there. You know, near the end of the game 20 minutes to go, and coming on to just boss the play as a centre back, as a midfielder.
“You know, you’re going to get a lot of positives going forward there.”
Midfield decisions vs Everton
We would not expect Casemiro to be in consideration for a centre-back role this weekend. But the one advantage of Ruben Amorim’s system, is that in a three-man defence, he has a little more protection around him.
Against Everton, there are tough decisions awaiting in midfield. The partnership between Casemiro and Christian Eriksen did not work against Ipswich – but we could have told you that in advance.
Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte renewing their pairing is more likely. They started all four games together under Ruud van Nistelrooy and appeared to be building a strong partnership.
But also on the horizon is the looming return of midfield wonderkid Kobbie Mainoo, who has been back in training, and he will be back in the mix before long.
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