Six Man Utd players who’ll be THRILLED by Ruben Amorim sack, including exit-linked star

Following Ruben Amorim’s sacking at Manchester United after just 14 months in charge, TEAMtalk looks at six Old Trafford stars who will likely be happy to see the back of the Portuguese, whether it’s due to not being in his thoughts or purely formation-related.

Amorim was shown the door on Monday , with Darren Fletcher set to take charge for Wednesday’s Premier League game against Burnley and the likes of Enzo Maresca, Oliver Glasner and Andoni Iraola all heavily linked with the job.

The former Man Utd boss was steadfast over his 3-4-2-1 formation, so much so that players were often asked to play out of position to fit that system, or even, in cases like Marcus Rashford , forced to leave to find regular football elsewhere.

But that could be about to change, depending who takes the permanent reins next, and we look at six players who are likely to benefit from Amorim being shown the door…

The England midfielder has to be the first to get a mention here, with Amorim clearly having no time for Mainoo , even though he was arguably better suited to that role alongside Casemiro in the heart of United’s midfield, ahead of skipper Bruno Fernandes .

The 20-year-old has not started a game in the Premier League all season, which is criminal for a player of his talents, and has only played 302 total minutes – 90 of which came in the embarrassing Carabao Cup loss to Grimsby.

Mainoo has actually been unavailable for selection for the last four games with a calf injury, ironically at a time when Amorim was prepared to tweak his formation in a move that could have actually seen the midfielder be considered for a start.

A loan exit continues to be mooted in January, with Napoli boss Antonio Conte a big admirer, but that will almost certainly be blocked now following Amorim’s exit .

The 31-year-old has continued to lead the side well, considering all the noise around Amorim’s future and the fact that he has been asked to play a deeper role that he is clearly not suited to.

Whoever takes charge at Old Trafford will surely utilise Fernandes closer to goal, and not sitting alongside Casemiro in a central midfield pairing that has a combined age of 64.

Fernandes, who is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury, has scored five goals and laid on seven assists so far this season. However, those numbers could easily be higher if the Portugal playmaker had been given a freer licence as one of the two No.10s in Amorim’s system.

It will certainly be interesting to see if Fernandes is reinstated to his more familiar position when he recovers from his injury and a new manager is potentially on board.

The 26-year-old is at his best playing as a traditional right-back in a back four but has been shifted all over the place by Amorim.

Indeed, only nine of Dalot ‘s 19 appearances in all competitions have come on the right, with five of those in the wing-back role, while he has played a further nine times on the left, all in the wing-back position.

Just the two assists so far this season, playing as a wing-back, is not really the return you would expect, but Dalot is far better operating as a right-back and will surely be happy to see Amorim leave in that regard.

Another player who can be a real threat in the final third but has continually been asked to fill the right wing-back role instead after the summer signing of Bryan Mbeumo.

Amad might still find his opportunities tough to come by in an attacking role when he returns from AFCON with a new manager at the helm, whether that’s Fletcher still in charge or a new permanent boss at the helm, but he surely won’t be continually used running back towards his own goal in a defensive capacity anymore.

The England defender has played 20 times for United this season, with 17 of those coming as a left-sided centre-back for Amorim, where he’s often been exposed and not looked completely comfortable.

United have been hit by injuries in that position, with Lisandro Martinez and Harry Maguire notable absentees who would likely have filled that role more regularly, but Shaw remains a stronger option as a traditional left-back.

Perhaps his injury history convinced Amorim to play him there rather than the lung-busting deeds required at wing-back, but Shaw is a much better player operating in a back four, and Amorim’s exit is likely to help him in that regard.

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Lastly, it’s the current Barcelona loanee who might still have a future at Old Trafford now that Amorim is gone.

The Portuguese coach did not see Rashford as a No.9, which meant he could only really feature as a left-wing-back or as one of the two No.10s in Amorim’s rigid system – neither of which were obvious fits.

Playing most of the left flank, the England forward has impressed in Catalonia, notching seven goals and adding 11 assists is 25 total appearances for Hansi Flick’s side.

However, Barcelona’s chronic financial constraints mean he is unlikely to make a proposed €30million switch at the end of the season, although our sources have revealed that another left-field option has emerged for the 28-year-old .

Amorim’s exit, however, means a return to United and playing for the club again next season cannot be completely ruled out.