Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand says there are doubts about whether the vast majority of the club’s forwards can be accommodated into Ruben Amorim’s system.
The Portuguese coach likes to have a strong focal point up front with two inside forwards but Ferdinand claims those positions aren’t really a good fit for the club’s current crop of players:
“I worry about whether the players that we have can fit into what Amorim wants. You look at Garnacho and you look at Rashford. Can they fit into an inside forward position and is that really the position they are going to excel?”
“Rasmus Hojlund. Is he going to be our [Viktor] Gyokeres, is he going to be the guy we can play through? Antony hasn’t shown that [he fits into the system] yet, Zirkzee as well. Where is he going to fit into all of this?”
United invested £195m in 3 of those players mentioned by Ferdinand
The Red Devils shelled out an eyewatering £86m on Antony in 2022 before paying a further £72m for Hojlund last year. Zirkzee, meanwhile, was only brought in from Bologna for £36.5m in July.
It would be a big call from Amorim if he deems all three of them surplus to requirements.
The futures of Garnacho and Rashford
There is probably less concern about Alejandro Garnacho. He is still a young player and Amorim will be keen to mould the 20-year-old into someone who can play a role under him.
Rashford’s future is a bit more uncertain. Amorim appears to believe that he can play through the middle, although his performances for United over the years in that role are less than convincing.
It does seem as if the manager is still trying to work out where best to deploy these players. In the long run, some may benefit while others will lose out.
Find out who is in Manchester United’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here