United In Focus

Manchester United’s managerial situation is not an easy one to solve. And we are not the only ones having trouble.

There is constant pressure as a Premier League manager, with Ruben Amorim always just one loss away from an ongoing debate over his future.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has urged patience and is seeking a long-term evaluation, with it clear that Ineos have no desire to rip up this current project and start again.

Ratcliffe’s stance is driven by a desire not to have to admit to an error, but also because there is no obvious alternative to Amorim.

The 7 managers contacted by Ineos about the Man United job before Ruben Amorim’s appointment

One manager who was twice linked was former Brentford boss Thomas Frank, before he was later hired by Tottenham.

Ratcliffe held face-to-face talks with Frank following the 2024 FA Cup Final, and he was once again considered once Erik ten Hag was sacked – before United opted for Amorim.

Amorim’s time at United has been challenging, and Frank represented an alternative who was another up and coming manager – but one with Premier League experience.

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He is now getting the chance to show what he can do with Tottenham Hotspur, and the results have been underwhelming.

Tottenham fans point out Frank problems

One of the biggest problems Manchester United fans had with Erik ten Hag, was the lack of a cohesive playing style with his teams.

Ruben Amorim has committed to a style of play, but there is ongoing debate over how effective his tactics are.

Tottenham lost 3-0 to Nottingham Forest at the weekend, slipping to 11th in the table. They have now lost three of their last five matches.

The honeymoon period for Frank at Tottenham is long gone, and fans on social media have been lamenting a disconnect with the club, and his tactics.

One fan wrote: “The next manager MUST bring a clear identity and style. Even if it doesn’t always work, at least there’s something to hold onto. Right now, we have nothing.”

A second responded: “Frank is an embarrassment of a football manager and I know 100% that this IS the worst I’ve ever felt as a Spurs fan!”

A third wrote: “I don’t think Thomas Frank understands what sort of Club he’s at. We aren’t Prime Barcelona but we still have standards.”

Another added: “It’s tough/draining and pointless getting behind a project when we have no faith in the manager.”

And a fifth wrote: “It is truly a numbing experience. Losing to Sean Dyche of all people when in bad form overall should be an automatic sacking.”

“I’m feeling greater apathy than ever before,” added another.

Are you confident Ruben Amorim is the right head coach for Man Utd?

Tottenham hoped to avoid United error

Manchester United’s poor 2023/24 season was covered up by the FA Cup Final win over City. And amid the emotion of winning the cup, United decided to keep Erik ten Hag. He was fired months later after a poor start to 2024/25.

Tottenham found themselves at a similar dilemma after Ange Postecoglou won the Europa League, offsetting a terrible league campaign.

Spurs fired Postecoglou right away, and hired Thomas Frank as his replacement.

It was a decision Ineos considered at the time, and chose not to take.

Whether Frank would be doing better than Amorim is like splitting hairs. He might even have been a downgrade.

What we are seeing from his Tottenham stint so far is that there is no reason for Ineos to regret their decision not to hire him.

Ruben Amorim must think twice before he rolls the dice with one Manchester United star to help fill the void left behind by Benjamin Sesko’s injury setback.

The 40-year-old Manchester United manager suffered a real headache during the Tottenham match ahead of the start of the November international break.

Benjamin Sesko was forced off the pitch in the second half of United’s 2-2 Premier League draw with Tottenham after he initially came off the bench after the break.

Amorim provided an update about Sesko after the match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but the picture was not clear on the extent of the injury to the striker.

Who should start as striker for Man Utd with Benjamin Sesko injured?

It has since been revealed that the 22-year-old Slovenian forward has suffered a knee injury and Sesko will be out of action for United for around a month.

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Ruben Amorim cannot turn to Matheus Cunha as a makeshift Man Utd replacement for Benjamin Sesko

Benjamin Sesko has struggled to deliver consistent goalscoring numbers in a Manchester United shirt since his move from German side RB Leipzig in August.

The ex-RB Leipzig ace has only netted twice in 12 matches across all competitions for United, despite impressing at times with other parts of his playing style.

Ruben Amorim could now be left to experiment with his lone striker option, with the United head coach facing another dilemma on who to play in Sesko’s place.

The obvious candidate would be the in-form Bryan Mbeumo, but United are likely to lose their summer signing next month for the start of the Africa Cup of Nations.

Joshua Zirkzee has been tipped to leave United in January and the out-of-favour Red Devils striker has struggled for minutes under Amorim in the 2025-26 campaign.

Amorim could use either Mason Mount or Matheus Cunha in a false nine type of role, but the United boss should consider the former over the latter in Sesko’s absence.

Gary O’Neil’s approach with Matheus Cunha at Wolves paints the full picture for Man Utd manager Ruben Amorim

Matheus Cunha has played behind the striker for the Brazil national team, but the United summer signing’s biggest strength is drifting in from the left of attack.

Gary O’Neil coached the 26-year-old Brazilian forward at Wolves and even tried to convert Cunha into a striker role during his first season in charge at the Molineux.

However, the 42-year-old former Wolves manager insisted that Cunha’s attacking flair from the left-hand side would be lost at the expense of the player being a poacher.

“He obviously has some fantastic individual attributes that can unlock things and get you up the pitch, but every time the ball is crossed, I need my No 9 to be a threat. You have to be,” Gary O’Neil said, as per Sky Sports in June.

“If you use [Erling] Haaland as the best example, he can go minutes without touching the ball, but he is constantly making runs threatening the backline, making space for others, and you know that as soon as the ball comes across he is going to be sliding in.”

Wayne Rooney has agreed that a decision made by Ruben Amorim was somewhat questionable as Manchester United drew to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on the weekend.

The Red Devils took the lead through Bryan Mbeumo, with the Cameroonian’s first-half header putting United in the ascendancy.

But after a dispirited second half, Tottenham fought back to lead through goals from Mathys Tel and Richarlison.

Matthijs de Ligt saved United’s blushes with a last-gasp header, but it was a rather disappointing result considering how long Amorim’s side held the lead.

Wayne Rooney on Casemiro sub in Man United vs Tottenham

This is something Wayne Rooney reflected on, and agreed with his BBC co-host that part of the reason the performance went downhill was due to Casemiro’s departure.

The co-host said, “I think sometimes Amorim’s substitutions baffle me. And I thought yesterday [Saturday], he should have let Casemiro see the game out and give him a rest next week if need be.

Rooney responded: “Well, he hasn’t got a game next week, has he? It’s the international break.

“So yeah, unless he was physically really tired or had a knock, we don’t know. But, yeah, he probably should have kept him on.

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“And as a manager, when you’re making changes, you hope they pay off – because obviously when they do, it’s great, and everyone turns around saying, “Oh, that was a great decision.”

“But sometimes they don’t, and so it’s a big thing.”

Casemiro leaves United with an injury concern after the Spurs game, with the 33-year-old’s departure from the pitch an unplanned one. So if this is the case, Amorim can’t be given too much stick.

Casemiro has turned his form around at United, and it was undeniable that when the Brazilian left the frame at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, there were gaps in the Red Devils midfield.

Manuel Ugarte ineffective against Tottenham

The man who vacated Casemiro’s position was the Uruguayan midfielder, Manuel Ugarte, who has struggled since he arrived at United.

This was no different against Tottenham, with Ugarte proving ineffective and actually detrimental to Amorim’s side. There were definitely better players on the pitch.

Who was the Man Utd MOTM vs Tottenham?

The be-all and end-all is that United need a new six. Casemiro is fine for now, but hasn’t got long left, which means the next point of call in the transfer market is the deep-lying playmaker role.

Matthijs de Ligt continued his impressive run of form for Manchester United against Tottenham but he still has room for improvement.

Manchester United drew 2-2 with Tottenham to extend the unbeaten run in the Premier League to five matches.

Matthijs de Ligt scored a last-gasp equaliser to salvage a point, but Ruben Amorim left disappointed that his side threw away another lead.

After the full-time whistle, De Ligt was frustrated to draw, but the Dutch defender can be extremely proud of his individual performance.

United fans raved about De Ligt following his display in North London, but Amorim is confident that he can elevate to an even higher level.

How Matthijs de Ligt can level up at Man United

Defensively, De Ligt was flawless for United against Tottenham and, frankly, he has been the club’s best defender all season.

But at 26 years old, he still has plenty of years ahead of him to keep improving, and Amorim has already said how.

Who was the Man Utd MOTM vs Tottenham?

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After full-time against Tottenham, Amorim praised De Ligt but also dropped a hint about what he wants from his defenders.

“I think he has more quality on the ball than he’s showing because he’s still at a point where he doesn’t want to make a mistake with the ball. When we reach a point, a very good point, our three centre-backs will control the tempo and the quality of the game.”

Amorim clearly wants Matthijs de Ligt to be more composed in possession, which will help United to dictate possession and the tempo of matches.

Matthijs de Ligt must cut out clearance habit

The statistics back up what Amorim is saying about De Ligt.

De Ligt has played every minute of United’s Premier League campaign, and there has been a noticeable trend in his performances.

As per the Premier League figures, De Ligt has made 59 clearances this season. That is twice as many as any other United player, with Leny Yoro ranking second with 27.

While that appears as a positive on paper, De Ligt’s tendency to clear his lines does cost United possession and a chance to build up from deep.

Amorim has adopted a more direct approach, but ideally he wants United to become a possession-based team. For that to happen, De Ligt will have to adapt.

Manchester United suffered a bittersweet draw against Spurs in a performance that was a repeat of their draw against Nottingham Forest, but they have a new undisputed first-choice starter now.

The game against Nottingham Forest was the first time Ruben Amorim named an unchanged side, and he made three changes for the visit to Spurs.

It hints that the Man Utd manager is finally getting close to his ideal team, although a triple injury blow vs Spurs will test that theory.

What’s extremely encouraging, however, is the emergence of a new undisputed first-choice player in the team who was an absolute monster vs Spurs.

Ruben Amorim must take note of Patrick Dorgu

Patrick Dorgu was always seen as a project player thrust into the brightest spotlight straightaway at Old Trafford, so some growing pains were expected.

In an ideal world, he would have been backup to a first-choice player, but when the first-choice player is Diogo Dalot, Dorgu deserves more chances.

Who was the Man Utd MOTM vs Tottenham?

He lent strength to that argument with a monstrous display vs Spurs, where he threw himself into duels with abandon, and was a foul magnet throughout.

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Dorgu was the most fouled player during the game, and he won a game-high nine duels to keep United in control of the game when Spurs pushed for an equaliser (Stats courtesy of FotMob).

It’s not a coincidence that the team conceded twice after he came off in the 80th minute, as his natural left-footedness and physicality thwarted Spurs on every occasion until his departure.

Amorim was choosing not to fix what wasn’t broken by continuing to select Dalot because he was a part of a winning team.

Now that Dorgu has come in and made the most of his opportunity against a big team, the left wing-back spot should be his to lose again.

Dorgu is a long-term investment unlike Diogo Dalot

It can be argued that even if Dorgu was struggling and left his spot open for Dalot to take it, Amorim should have taken the long-term view.

That is because Dorgu’s age and potential make him a long-term investment worth persisting with through growing pains.

The light at the end of the tunnel is bright in Dorgu’s case, while Dalot is what he is, and it’s extremely unlikely he improves another level.

The Portuguese is a perfectly serviceable role player who is a model professional off the pitch, so his contribution should be appreciated.

What shouldn’t happen is dropping Dorgu for him, who has the potential to lock down that left wing-back position for the next decade.

Just like Senne Lammens in goal, Dorgu is the long-term play here who can provide an immediate upgrade as well.

It’s a no-brainer who the left wing-back position should go to, even more so after his game against Spurs.

Bryan Mbeumo has now opened up on the crucial message that he sent to every Manchester United player during the 2-2 draw against Tottenham on Saturday.

The Red Devils summer signing broke the deadlock in the 32nd minute of the clash after Bryan Mbeumo scored a stunning header from an Amad Diallo cross.

Manchester United were leading Tottenham going into half-time and maintained their advantage for the majority of the match before a late Spurs comeback.

Mathys Tel beat Senne Lammens in the 84th minute after a deflection from Matthijs de Ligt allowed Tottenham to cancel out United’s first-half opener in the match.

Who was the Man Utd MOTM vs Tottenham?

Ruben Amorim and Co would be stunned only seven minutes later after Richarlison curled a stunning effort into the bottom right corner of Senne Lammens’ net.

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Bryan Mbeumo explains where he stood with Man Utd players after Tottenham’s Premier League fightback

Manchester United were able to avoid a major setback on Saturday afternoon at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the dying stages of the 2-2 Premier League draw.

The Red Devils received a late corner and United summer signing Senne Lammens was even called up to the Tottenham box for the injury-time set-piece.

Bruno Fernandes crossed the ball into the far post of the Tottenham net and Matthijs de Ligt escaped his marker and smashed home a header past Guglielmo Vicario.

Speaking after United’s result against Tottenham, Bryan Mbeumo admitted that he attempted to rally his side back after Richarlison put Spurs in the lead in injury time.

The 26-year-old Cameroon forward claimed that he told his teammates to “stay” in the contest and they all showed how “very strong mentally” they are “right now.”

“Yeah, I tried to talk to the guys and tell them to ‘stay in the game’ because it’s still five minutes to go and we know in a football game anything can happen,” Mbeumo told TNT Sports.

“And I think we are all very strong mentally right now to come back and that’s what we’ve done.”

Bryan Mbeumo’s verdict on Man Utd’s performance in the draw at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Mbeumo impressed United fans with his overall display on Saturday afternoon and he insisted that the Red Devils were involved in “big drama” at the end of the tie.

“Yeah, that was a big drama, but yeah, at the end, we managed to come back into the game and yeah, as I said, if we can’t win, don’t lose,” he explained.

When asked about Spurs’ tactical changes in the match, the United summer signing responded: “Yeah, we knew that it’s going to be harder in the second half.

“Obviously, they were going to push, but before the first goal we conceded, I think we played a very, very good game.

“Very solid. So, I think we still have to work a bit on the goals we conceded.”

Mbeumo has netted six times and picked up one assist in his first 12 United matches in the 2025-26 campaign after his stunning summer arrival from Brentford.

Bryan Mbeumo believes Manchester United will continue to grow in confidence after drawing with Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.

Manchester United drew 2-2 with Tottenham Hotspur to make it five matches unbeaten in the Premier League.

The Red Devils took the lead through Bryan Mbeumo after 32 minutes and appeared to be in control of the game at half-time.

However, in a similar fashion to last week, United collapsed in the second half by conceding two goals. They also kept the faith and showed their newfound belief by scoring late on to secure a point.

Matthijs de Ligt felt United deserved more after his headed goal in the sixth minute of stoppage time, but there was relief as they came away from London after avoiding defeat.

Bryan Mbeumo takes confidence boost from Tottenham draw

United’s goalscorer Mbeumo was the main attacking threat in the first half.

Mbeumo took advantage of Tottenham’s poor defending when he converted Amad’s brilliant cross for the opening goal. The Cameroon international stood – rather than jumped – with no Spurs defender in proximity.

It was Mbeumo’s sixth goal of the season, and he took a positive approach to his post-match interview, despite many United fans feeling that it was two points dropped.

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Who was the Man Utd MOTM vs Tottenham?

In an interview with TNT Sports, Mbeumo was asked about the overriding feeling in the dressing room after drawing 2-2 with Tottenham.

“That was a big drama, but at the end we managed to come back into the game,” Mbeumo said.

With United now five matches unbeaten, Mbeumo believes United can take more confidence from their draw at Tottenham.

“It builds confidence when we don’t lose,” he added.

“It’s always easier on the pitch and training ground, so everyone is enjoying a lot. We are going to try to build this [unbeaten run] as long as possible.”

Bryan Mbeumo ranks among Erling Haaland and Mohamed Salah

It has been a brilliant year for Mbeumo on the pitch.

Not only was he Brentford’s talisman throughout the 2025/26 season, but Mbeumo also completed a move to United and was voted Premier League Player of the Month in October.

Mbeumo also ranks among the top attacking players in the Premier League for goal contributions in 2025.

Five of those goals were scored in a United shirt, with more to follow before the end of the year.

Manchester United are now five games unbeaten, but the draw against Tottenham feels like a defeat.

For so long at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, it was Manchester United in control and cruising toward three points. But having failed to push on and score a second, Ruben Amorim watched his side throw away victory.

In the end, it took a 96th minute equaliser from Matthijs de Ligt to earn a point. United and Spurs drew 2-2, but for the Red Devils it was a massive missed opportunity to make a statement.

Who was the Man Utd MOTM vs Tottenham?

United would be second on 22 points had the team been able to hold onto the lead from winning positions, with this trend becoming alarming for Amorim.

In fact, the past two games have been record matching from the Red Devils.

Manchester United have made history over the past two games

It was a day to forget for United, with the failure to hold onto a winning position proving to be a task this team really struggles with.

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Against Spurs, the game had the exact same order of events as in the draw with Nottingham Forest.

Opta Joe tweeted to reveal that United are now the first team since Manchester City in 2012 to score first, then go behind and still avoid defeat in back-to-back Premier League games.

The account noted that these games have been a ‘rollercoaster’ for United, but it isn’t something fans will be delighted with.

Ruben Amorim was a loser from this game for this reason, as to drop points from a winning position twice is unacceptable and the manner in which the team capitulates should be the top thing for Amorim to solve.

Manchester United making unwanted records

There were big celebrations from the players when De Ligt scored, and rightly so. The players deserved to be commended for their comeback, but it should never have got to that point.

United won’t have wanted to have matched this record set by City, as in order to be eligible, it requires a catastrophe before redemption.

Going beyond the last two games, United also almost threw away a 3-0 lead against Brighton as the Seagulls pulled it back to 3-2, before Bryan Mbeumo re-established a two goal buffer.

When United welcome Everton to Old Trafford in two weeks, Amorim cannot afford similar issues and needs to re-establish a winning presence in the league, which the home form this season should make likely.

Bryan Mbeumo received a spine-tingling ‘nickname’ from one Sky Sports pundit after the Manchester United summer signing’s display against Tottenham on Saturday.

Tottenham hosted Manchester United at home for Saturday’s Premier League contest in the afternoon ahead of the start of the November international break.

The Red Devils took the lead against Spurs after an uneventful opening 30 minutes at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Bryan Mbeumo breaking the deadlock.

Amad Diallo received the ball on the right side and the 23-year-old Ivory Coast international chipped in a cross from inside the Tottenham box in the first half.

Who was the Man Utd MOTM vs Tottenham?

The United winger’s lofted pass found its way to Mbeumo, who planted his feet on the pitch before directing the ball into the near post of Guglielmo Vicario’s net.

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Guglielmo Vicario was caught out by the Red Devils summer signing’s header and United took a 1-0 lead over Tottenham at half-time on Saturday afternoon.

Tim Sherwood powerfully reacted to Bryan Mbeumo’s first-half opener for Man Utd at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Bryan Mbeumo has now scored six times in 12 matches across all competitions for Manchester United since the start of the 2025-26 Premier League campaign.

The 26-year-old Cameroon international has been in scintillating form for Ruben Amorim since he left the Gtech Community Stadium and arrived at Old Trafford.

Mbeumo was named Premier League Player of the Month for October and the former Brentford star has been a standout performer for the Red Devils this season.

Tim Sherwood was on punditry duties for Sky Sports during United’s 2-2 draw against Tottenham and the former Spurs manager reacted to Mbeumo’s impact.

The 56-year-old former Aston Villa manager dropped a nickname for ex-Bees ace Mbeumo by calling him the “man who haunts Spurs” after his first-half opener.

Speaking on Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday, Tim Sherwood said: “The man who haunts Spurs – Mbeumo’s fifth goal against them – he is free at the back post and just heads it in for a deserved lead.”

What did former Tottenham manager Tim Sherwood mean by his remarks on Man Utd star Bryan Mbeumo?

Mbeumo’s impact against Spurs at the weekend felt like a ‘boogeyman’ moment for Tottenham after what the United summer signing did in the 2024-25 campaign.

The United player made a stunning impact for Brentford against Spurs in September 2024 during the Premier League clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The Bees took the first-half lead over Tottenham inside the opening minute, with former Brentford forward Mbeumo netting past Guglielmo Vicario in the tie.

Brentford would later lose 3-1 to Tottenham in the Premier League match, but United were fortunate to walk away with a 2-2 draw after Spurs’ late fightback.

Manchester United saved their unbeaten streak with another late salvo, but Ruben Amorim will be more worried about the state of his squad because he might just have a third injury issue.

Harry Maguire was the first to go down against Spurs, holding his hamstring, after which he was replaced by Leny Yoro.

Benjamin Sesko’s issue with his knee late on forced Man Utd to finish the game with ten men, as they had already made all their subs.

Now, it seems like Ruben Amorim might have to deal with a third injury worry after the latest developments surrounding a third player.

Full picture behind Casemiro’s substitution

Once again, United crumbled to dust the moment Casemiro left the pitch, hammering home his importance to this side.

Amorim taking Casemiro off is not a new occurrence, with the Brazilian’s minutes being managed so that he can play at his best.

The same happened against Spurs, and Manuel Ugarte, not being very good after coming off the bench, only served to raise the Brazilian’s importance.

The worrying news is that it seems like Casemiro’s substitution against Spurs wasn’t planned, and it was forced due to a rough tackle he received.

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Brazilian journalist Fred Caldeira reports that it was Casemiro who asked to leave the pitch after that rough tackle, not believing he could shake it off.

He wrote (translated to English): “Casemiro asked to leave after taking a rough hit.”

Man Utd face nervous wait for Casemiro

The sole silver lining about this development is that United don’t play again for 16 days, as the last international break of this year begins after their weekend.

Who was the Man Utd MOTM vs Tottenham?

Their next game is on October 24 against Everton back at Old Trafford, although Casemiro has been called up to the national side.

Having recently regained captaincy, Casemiro will be itching to play, but perhaps United can come to an agreement with the player and his country to manage his minutes.

From being an expendable member of the squad, Casemiro has engineered a remarkable turnaround where United don’t seem to be able to survive without him.

They now face a nervous wait on whether the substitution was just precautionary, or it needs more attention to get him back ready for Everton’s visit to Old Trafford.