Xiaoba Yiyanjia | What else does Manchester United need for new No. 9? Amorin "Service " Just have a good B fee

The Manchester United coach seemed to have realized that B Fee performed best nearer the frontcourt, which also made him consider not signing centers at all. GOAL author Richard Martin analyzed this.

Manchester United has narrowed the forward search to two names: Sesco and Watkins. The former's value may be as high as £78 million, partly because he is at the age of 23 and has huge room for improvement. However, although Cesco's Bundesliga statistics (27 goals and 7 assists) are impressive, it remains to be seen whether he can replicate such a state to the Premier League - just as Sancho, Werner and Havertz have not been able to do it.

Meanwhile, Watkins has proven to be extremely productive in the English top league. Only Salah and Haaland have scored more than his 75 goals in the past five seasons. At 29, he has no age advantage, but his price tag is also lower, and Villa is willing to listen to an offer of about £45 million.

Of course, Manchester United has a third option: maintain the status quo.

Currently, the Red Devils have the hardworking but inefficient Hoylen, their new players Mbemo and Cunya, the worrying state fluctuations, and their captain and offensive core B Fee. Maintaining the status quo may be their best choice, precisely because it allows B fee to perform at its best.

BF position moved forward again

Manchester United's 2-1 victory over West Ham United in New Jersey provided Amorin with a compelling reason: there is no need to sign on the front line again. Because B Fee played in his best form when he was partnering with Cunia as one of the Double 10 positions. The Portuguese international took over two goals from the team and was the core of Manchester United's best offense - not only did he send Hoylen a shot hitting the post in the opening minute, but he also wasted a chance to face Areola alone after stealing deep in the halftime in West Ham. Obviously, this is where B-Fuel performs best: be the playmaker closer to the frontcourt, rather than pullbacks to take on a deeper midfield role. In 2024, B Fei predicted that he would pull back to the midfield to influence the game more. He told reporters: "I like this position, play deeper, and face the direction of the game more. When there is a ball, this makes my game much easier because I have a broader vision of the game, which is very suitable for the last pass we talk about, and sometimes this can start from a deeper position on the court."

Since then, B Fei has played this role many times, both under Tenghach and Amorin. But Amorin should have learned by now that his captain performed best nearer the frontcourt.

closer to the penalty area, B Fee performed better

In fact, one of Amorin's most expensive mistakes last season was choosing to let B Fee play deeper in the Europa League final against Tottenham, and the captain played one of the worst performances of the season. During the offensive organization where Brennan Johnson scored the only goal in the game, B Fei conceded the ball near the midfield line, and his usual offensive power was also weakened.

After a friendly win over West Ham, Amorin admitted: "Last year, I sometimes pushed him back to have more possession in the organizational stage, and we missed the B fee near the penalty area."

Although he did play well sometimes in deeper positions, such as the final round of the league against Aston Villa, and a big victory over Leicester City and Real Sociedad. But his best performances—such as the 5-4 fight against Lyon in the Europa League, a 3-0 away victory over Athletic Bilbao, and Amorin's first league victory at Old Trafford were both achieved when he appeared as one of the Double Ten.

B Fei's helper came

Amorin also mentioned that his newly introduced offensive players, and Maynu, who returned from injury, will prevent B Fei from being isolated like last season, which makes the captain feel that he has to take care of everything.

"With the different characteristics of Mbemo and Cunya, and I really like the game of Menu, he (B Fe) will get more help this season," Amorin added. "Now I feel like he has more players around him to help him lead the team, which is a good thing. He is our leader, and it's very important, not just on the court, off the court. He leads by example. He works very hard, always available, sometimes even on the court. Sometimes the problem is that he gets frustrated and deviates slightly from his job. Sometimes he wants to help his teammates, which is not the best way to do it."

Amorin loves B Fe so much that in June he begged him to reject a ridiculous offer from the Riyadh Crescent. That offer could have brought about £100 million in transfer income and saved wages for Manchester United. The cash inflow could have eased the club's huge financial difficulties, which was ten times their revenue last season's Asian Tour and effectively filled the financial hole caused by losing the UEFA Cup final and failing to qualify for the Champions League next season.

Think outside the framework

Therefore, after winning the battle to retain the best player, it is logical for Amorin to do everything he can to get B to the best. Signing another striker, such as Watkins or Sesco, will mean that three new players from Manchester United will occupy three positions on the front line, forcing B to retreat to the drag-back position. While Hoylen and Zilkerze could accept starting some games on the bench, it is hard to imagine Amorin repeatedly excluding Sesco or Watkins from the starter in order to accommodate others.

While neither Cunya nor Mbemo are traditional centers, Amorin insists that both can serve as forwards. It's time for Manchester United to join other top clubs to get rid of the concept of just letting traditional centers play in the middle.

Last season Premier League champion Liverpool successfully arranged Louis Dias in the middle for a period of time. This was originally just a stopgap measure when Jota struggled in physical condition and Nunez's decline, but some of Liverpool's best games last season were the Colombian's sudden start, partnering with Salah and Garkepo. The 4-0 victory over Leverkusen at Anfield was one of the highlights of the Reds throughout the season, and the same forward trio also started in a 6-3 away win against Tottenham and a 5-0 victory over West Ham United.

More efficient than ever

Admittedly, Liverpool has turned to a fixed center configuration by signing Ekitic this summer and targeting Isaac while selling Dias to Bayern. But they are not the only team that has reaped rewards from jumping out of the frame on striker use.

Ottoman Dembele was regarded as a winger before Enrique took over Paris Saint-Germain, but he played his best season in the middle of his career in the season when Paris Saint-Germain won the triple-winning championship. Desir Duer also served as center in the quarterfinals of the Club World Cup where Paris Saint-Germain defeated Bayern. This is very telling: Gonzalo Ramos and Muani, the players signed by the club in 2023, have not achieved their value. Kloe Muani was loaned to Juventus in January, while Ramos started only 13 games in Ligue 1 and Champions League last season.

While Isaac, Ekitic and Arsenal new player Yorke have attracted the greatest interest in the transfer window this summer and sparked discussions about the new center era, the wingers have proved to be equally efficient, and perhaps even more efficient. Six of the top 13 Premier League scorers in the 24/25 season are wingers or wing forwards, including Golden Boot winner Salah.

Return to the top

Let Mbemo and Cunha serve as the forwards, B Fei is moving behind them, and Amad participates in the offense from the wingback position, which will make Manchester United's offense extremely difficult to predict. Mbemo scored 20 Premier League goals for Brentford last season — a number no Manchester United player has achieved since Van Persie 12 years ago — and Cunha scored 15 goals for Wolves.

In contrast, B Fee scored eight league goals for Manchester United seem inferior, especially considering that three of them were penalty kicks. But he did give out 10 assists, and as the quality of his teammates improves, this number will definitely increase. If he plays more frequently near the frontcourt, it is easy to imagine that B Fee will return to his form when he scored 28 league goals between January 2020 and May 2021.

B Fei has talked about being the target of public criticism for failing to reach the heights of the previous two seasons, but having Mbemo and Cunha by his side can help him recover those impressive numbers and, more importantly, help United get back to where they want.

source:vn7m cn