Amorim exposed by ‘best in the world’ at Liverpool as Man Utd coach *could* do some coaching

Manchester United’s victory over Chelsea on Saturday has relieved the mounting pressure on Ruben Amorim’s shoulders a touch, and he will no doubt take the win as a notch on his bedpost of obstinacy, but after Arne Slot turned a Liverpool star into one of the best, if not the best, in a previously alien position, Kobbie Mainoo must be wondering why a supposedly excellent coach can’t do the same for him.

Mainoo was introduced in the 87th minute to see out United’s victory over Chelsea, and showed his worth to the team even in that short cameo, winning a corner in stoppage time to put the nail in the Blues’ coffin, having illustrated it far more evidently in the defeat to Manchester City as the Red Devils’ best player on the day after coming off the bench.

The 20-year-old is yet to start a Premier League game this season, featuring for just 76 minutes in total, having been denied a loan exit at the end of the transfer window in search of more game time and amid rumours of January moves from various high-grade suitors.

Amorim’s contention is that he can’t play Mainoo and Bruno Fernandes in his double pivot. The United captain’s display against Chelsea served as a timely reminder as to why he remains so crucial to the Red Devils after an inauspicious start to the season.

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But Casemiro’s experience was no match for his stupidity and he is now suspended for their next game after his red card, and although Manuel Ugarte put in one of his better performances as his replacement in midfield at half-time, the Uruguayan’s very low bar suggests Amorim should at least be tempted to play Mainoo alongside his captain against Brentford next time out.

Because while Amorim may currently feel as though he’s ill-suited to the role, and we don’t necessarily disagree, it is also possible for a coach to coach a footballer – particularly one so young and seemingly open to developing and adapting his game – into playing a new position.

Just as Slot has done with Ryan Gravenberch, who was once again outstanding for Liverpool in their 2-1 win over Everton on Saturday, leading Michael Owen to question whether there is a better No.6 in the world right now.

“He is seriously talented,” Owen said. “He can do anything. I love him in the sitting number six role. It just shows you can push him forward, and he can still have a big influence.

“I look around the world at the moment at midfield players and I think, Who is better than him? Who is performing better than him? I don’t see many at all. I think, he is one of the finds of the last season or so.”

He was heavily linked with the Liverpool exit in the summer of 2024, and if the Reds had landed Martin Zubimendi after having an offer accepted for the now Arsenal No.6, there’s a very good chance Gravenberch wouldn’t still be at the club.

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But in a situation very similar to the one being experienced by Amorim at United after they failed to sign Brighton’s Carlos Baleba or an alternative midfielder this summer, Slot was pushed into playing Gravenberch as a square peg in that round hole, and the Netherlands international is now perfectly spherical having adapted in stunning fashion.

“Not just this season, he’s been playing like that from the moment last season started,” Virgil Van Dijk said after the win over Everton. “He’s unbelievable. He’s very important to the way we play.

“You see the amount of times I try to look for him. It benefits him, me and the team. He’s in incredible shape. He’s in the form of his life. He has to keep going. He’s still young.

“During his first season here he hardly played either. Listen, it’s a mix of everything: getting confidence, progressing and improving as a player, playing games at the highest level and knowing your role in the team.

“I’m very pleased for him because he puts in a lot of hard work to do what he is doing.”

We understand that a Mainoo-Fernandes partnership isn’t ideal, but nothing is at United right now, and if Slot can turn a negative into such a huge positive, why can’t Amorim?

He’s concerned his players will lose respect for him if he wavers from his philosophy and formation, but surely the absolute opposite would be true if they witness him coaching one of the most talented footballers in the squad to operate in a role which – let’s face it – is hardly light and day to the one Mainoo thrived in for United and England last season.