Paul Scholes has questioned whether Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho, Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui are the right fit for incoming manager Ruben Amorim.
After a thrilling victory over Manchester City on Tuesday, Amorim will take charge of his final game as Sporting Lisbon head coach against Braga this weekend before officially taking the reins at Old Trafford on Monday.
His arrival could bring a change in formation on the red half of Manchester with the Portuguese coach using a three at the back system throughout his coaching career, varying between a 3-4-3, a 3-4-2-1 and a 3-5-2 systems.
United have six options at centre-half when everyone is available and on paper, have the options at the back for that tactical switch.
But Scholes has concerns elsewhere on the pitch, not convinced some of the club’s forward players ‘want to do the ugly side of the game’.
Amorim’s system could potentially see traditional winger roles phased out with wing-backs preferred. In assessing United’s options in such a system, Scholes questioned whether Rashford and Garnacho will want to ‘run back’, also unsure if Dalot and Mazraoui are good enough going forward.
‘There are three or four players, especially forward players, who don’t want to do the ugly side of the game. He’s going to have to make them do that,’ Scholes told TNT Sports ahead of the Europa League game against PAOK.
‘We talk about the back three, we have six centre-halves they can choose from. He has got the two central midfielders in Casemiro and [Manuel] Ugarte. It’s the wingbacks that could be the problem.
‘Does he want wingers who are going to run back? If he wants that, I’m not sure Rashford and Garnacho are right for that.
‘Does he want two wing-backs in Dalot and Mazraoui who might be a little bit better defensively but not as good going forward?’
Scholes also suggested Kobbie Mainoo could have a key role to play under the Portuguese coach and may benefit from a more advanced role further up the pitch.
‘He has then got his two no10s’ Scholes continued. ‘Fernandes is one of them and I actually think Mainoo could be one of them too. I think he’ll be better player higher up, it will suit it more.
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