Well, who’d have thought it, eh? A change of manager and Manchester United look like a potent force again.
Erik ten Hag’s contract has been torn up and Ruben Amorim, widely thought to be one of the game’s most exciting young coaches now patrols the Old Trafford dugout.
He’s not had a bad start to life as the manager of the Red Devils either. Amorim has taken charge of three games and across those matches they are unbeaten.
There will, of course, be greater tests than relegation-threatened Ipswich Town and Everton, but after two league games and a Europa League fixture, the Portuguese is unbeaten so far.
The 4-0 win over the Toffees on Sunday was an exceptional performance, one that has breathed fresh life into what was a downbeat side prior to Ruud van Nistelrooy’s interim stint as manager.
Man United's best performers against Everton
With Amorim now through the door, it was always going to be interesting to see how his renowned tactical shape would work out at Man United.
The answer? Brilliantly so far. They’ve only had two weeks to get to grips with a shape that involves three defenders and two wing-backs but we are seeing it prove game-changing for some players at Old Trafford.
Chief among them is Marcus Rashford who is quickly showing signs of why he’s earned 60 England caps.
The forward started as the central striker against Ipswich last weekend and within minutes of the game kicking off, he had found the net.
On this occasion, Rashford played behind Joshua Zirkzee and shone, scoring twice for the hosts. He was given strong assistance from United target Jarrad Branthwaite for the first, however.
Bruno Fernandes’ corner picked out Rashford and his goalbound effort was deflected into the back of the net. His second only needed the assistance of Amad Diallo who swiftly attacked the right-hand side before sliding in the England international.
Most touches
Lisandro Martinez (100)
Most passes
Martinez (86)
Most key passes
Amad (3)
Expected goals
Marcus Rashford (0.44 xG)
Successful dribbles
Iliman Ndiaye (5)
Defensive actions
James Tarkowski (10)
Total tackles
Amad & Tarkowski (4)
Interceptions
Martinez (2)
Ground duels won
Amad (11)
The other scorer was Joshua Zirkzee who bagged a brace of his own. The Dutchman has found life tough since arriving in the summer but was full of life on Sunday.
Speaking of Amorim’s system, it’s also proven game-changing for one player who didn’t earn too many opportunities under the previous regime; Amad.
Performance in Numbers
Want data and stats? Football FanCast's Performance in Numbers series provides you with the latest match analysis from across Europe.
Amad Diallo's performance in numbers
Last season it took the Ivorian the best part of four months for Ten Hag to finally give him a start. This term, chances were forthcoming on a more regular basis but he wasn’t one of the first names on the team sheet.
Well, under Amorim, he looks absolutely perfect in a wing-back role, notably shining against Everton on Sunday.
A week ago the winger was the provider for Rashford and on this occasion, he was once again the main supply line outside of captain Fernandes.
It was Amad who charged away to register two assists from the right flank, first breaking away to tee up Rashford before he raced away from the Everton backline on 64 minutes to find Zirkzee in acres of space.
Minutes played
90
Touches
71
Accurate passes
42/49 (86%)
Key passes
3
Assists
2
Shots
2
Successful dribbles
4/4
Ground duels won
11/14
Aerial duels won
1/3
Fouled
3x
Really, it was a Man of the Match performance, one in which he “tore Everton to shreds” in the words of MEN’s Samuel Luckhurst. Deservedly given a 9/10 rating by Sofascore, the 22-year-old was near flawless, playing three key passes, winning a mammoth 12 duels and completing all four of his dribble attempts.
United fans will tell you that the young forward’s form since Amorim arrived has been no surprise. The talent has always been there but they’ve now got a manager capable of extracting it.
You only need to look at 17-year-old Geovany Quenda, the new manager’s right-back at Sporting this season to understand how important that role in the team is. A similar profile to Amad, the teenager had amassed four goal involvements in 2024/25 prior to Amorim’s departure.
It only feels like United’s no.16 will now go from strength to strength at United. Judged to be a similar player to Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka, via FBRef, a man worth over £100m according to Transfermarkt, it proves where his career could be destined to head.
Like Amad, Saka was a flying wing-back in the Arsenal side, breaking through under Unai Emery before becoming one of the best players in the Premier League as a forward.
For the 22-year-old United star, there is a blueprint there to follow. After such a strong run of form, supplying four assists in his last four games, he very much has the world at his feet.
Bellingham 2.0: Man Utd want to sign exciting £120m star in the making
Ruben Amorim already appears to be eyeing up new additions for Manchester United.
ByEthan Lamb