Amorim must unleash Man Utd sensation who would walk into Man City’s team

Ruben Amorim will get his first taste of a local derby as Manchester United boss this afternoon, when he takes his side to the Etihad to face Manchester City.

The Red Devils come into the game off the back of a 2-1 win in the Europa League against Viktoria Plzen, but it’s their Premier League form that has caught the eye for the wrong reasons.

His side have lost both of their last two matches in England’s top flight, desperately wanting to end such a run against their noisy neighbours and claim the bragging rights.

However, United have lost all of their last three trips to face Pep Guardiola’s side, with Amorim wanting to make an immediate impact in the Manchester derby.

If he is to do so this afternoon, he looks set to be without numerous key first-team members, only making the task of claiming all three points that little bit harder.

Man Utd’s injury concerns ahead of Man City clash

Experienced centre-back Jonny Evans has played a bit part role since his return to Old Trafford last season, often covering at the back during the defensive crisis.

However, after making six league appearances to date, the 36-year-old looks set to miss yet another match after picking up a knock in Amorim’s opening game against Ipswich Town last month.

The backline could remain the same as Thursday night, which could see Matthijs de Ligt, Lisandro Martínez, and Noussair Mazraoui face the task of keeping Erling Haaland quiet.

After a torrid spell with injury, Luke Shaw suffered yet another setback, with his latest hamstring injury keeping him out of the clash at the Etihad this afternoon.

The 29-year-old has only made two league appearances to date, featuring for a total of 68 minutes – highlighting his recent struggles at the Theatre of Dreams.

However, if the new manager is to taste success against their local rivals, he must start a player in his natural role after dropping him into a slightly deeper role in the Czech Republic.

The player who would walk into Man City’s team

Portuguese midfielder Bruno Fernandes has often been the go-to creative star for the Red Devils over the last few years, producing some incredible numbers in the process.

The 30-year-old has registered eight combined goals and assists in his 15 league starts this year, most of which have come in his more natural attacking midfield role.

However, he operated slightly deeper alongside Casemiro at the heart of the midfield, but if Amorim is to hand himself the best possible chance of causing an upset – he must return the former Sporting CP star to his more natural role.

The “sensational” midfielder, as dubbed by the legendary Paul Scholes, would walk into the City side, adding the creativity that Guardiola’s men have desperately lacked in recent weeks – as demonstrated by their tally of just five goals scored in four matches.

When comparing his figures to that of Kevin de Bruyne during 2024/25, he’s registered more goal contributions, with age certainly catching up to the Belgian over the last couple of months.

As you can see in the table above, the Portuguese star would slot straight into City’s team as an outstanding scorer and creator of goals, given that Haaland is the only player with more contributions than him.

Fernandes has so often been the man to dig United out of trouble over the last couple of years, holding the keys to a potential win at the Etihad for the first time since 2021.

Local derbies always tend to spring up a surprise, with Amorim hoping that the saying could come to fruition by the final whistle later on this evening – potentially acting as the catalyst for his tenure at the club.