Manchester United: Ruben Amorim makes admission over best line-up amid heavy squad rotation

Ruben Amorim says he’s close to knowing his best Manchester United line-up.

Appointed following the sacking of Erik ten Hag in late October, the Portuguese tactician officially started work as United’s head coach on November 11, 2024 and has overseen four games across all competitions since.

His debut game in the dugout ended in a 1-1 draw away at Ipswich Town which was followed up by back-to-back home wins over Bodo/Glimt - in the Europa League - and the 4-0 thrashing of Everton.

More recently though, Amorim tasted defeat for the first time as Man United boss as his side were beaten 2-0 by Arsenal on Wednesday night.

What was interesting about the game in North London, certainly before kick-off was the visitors’ starting line-up as Amorim continued his theme of heavy squad rotation as he looks to manage his players' workloads and hand minutes to those who have recently returned from injury.

And after plenty of experimenting, the 39-year-old has revealed he is getting closer to knowing the ideal line-up for his 3-4-2-1 system.

"More or less [I am close to knowing my best line-up], yes," he told reporters. "You have an idea, but then you have the problem of players returning without training and then you have to manage the load. So you also have the same problem.

"But then you have to imagine and understand what kind of player you have. Bruno Fernandes, you feel it, against Arsenal, in the end, he was a little bit tired, but you know he is going to recover very well.

“Manuel Ugarte, I've known for so long; I know that he needs sometimes a little bit more time.

"So we are in that process, to know the players and trying to manage that, but we're getting closer to an idea, yes."

Plenty of eyes will be on Amorim’s team selection for Saturday’s Premier League clash against Nottingham Forest especially with Lisandro Martinez and Kobbie Mainoo available again after suspension.