The beginning of life was not so easy Manchester United Manager for Reuben Amorim. The Portuguese coach did it He took charge of 11 matches So far, the team has won only four matches, drawn one and lost six.
One of the biggest sticking points for the new Red Devils manager so far is how easily his team concede goals. In 11 matches so far, they have conceded 21 goals, for a total of 1.9 per game.
Creatively, United have also struggled, scoring just 17 goals under Amroim so far. One area that has been a problem for United so far has been left-back.
Full-back problems at Manchester United
The Red Devils have struggled so far this season with options at full-back. Luke Shaw has been injured for most of the season, and Terrell Malacia also recently returned from a horrific knee injury that sidelined him for 18 months.
This has mainly left Diogo Dalot and Nassir Mazraoui as options at full-back. After United's last game, a 2-0 loss at home to Newcastle, Gary Neville criticized the pair when speaking to Sky Sports.
The former United captain explained That “the full-backs are not very good in the attacking part of the field.” He was talking about Dalot and Mazraoui, who started at left and right-back respectively.
Neville Skye's colleague Jamie Carragher discovered a statistic After the Newcastle game which showed that United did not score in open play when either defender started at right-back. However, when the likes of Amad Diallo and Anthony started there, they created nine chances.
Alarm bells must be ringing for Amorim, because this seems like a problem that needs to be corrected quickly. In fact, the former Sporting coach could turn to his former player to solve the problem.
Man United searched for a wing-back
Another thing Neville confirmed After the game against Newcastle at the end of 2024, there was a need to strengthen the full-back position. He explained that during the winter transfer period, “United must start with the basics of this system, which are the full-backs.”
Hence, the United legend may be happy to see his former club linked with highly-rated player Giovanni Cuenda. According to Rudy Galetti – As reported at the end of December – the Red Devils are “among the clubs still monitoring” the youngster, along with Manchester City, Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain.
Galletti reported that there was a chance the two sides could make “concrete moves in January” for the 17-year-old. He is said to have a hefty £84m release clause on his current deal, According to the Daily Mail.
Quenda could be INEOS' dream addition to Amorim if they are looking for a more expansive right-back. He has played there several times already under the former Sporting coach, 18 to be specificHe has two goals and two assists so far.
This includes a goal against FC Porto in the Supertaca earlier in the season.
He has previously been compared to one of the best strikers in world football. Bukayo Saka. Fabio Roque, coach of Sporting Academy. He explained to Sky Sports He reminds him of the Arsenal star, before pointing out that there is “only one Giovanni Cuenda.”
“He reminds me of Bukayo Saka at the beginning of his career when he played as a full-back… There is only one Giovanni Cuenda. He is different from any other player I have coached. He can leave a mark in football.” Completely different.”
Indeed, comparisons can be made between the two fast players at the beginning of their careers. Like Saka, Kwenda is left-footed, with both players initially breaking into the team as wing-backs.
If he has anything like Saka's career, the young athlete will go even further. He's already got the number seven at Arsenal 250 matches with the Gunnerswith 67 goals and 63 assists to his name.
Quinda statistics from the 2024/25 Portuguese League season Courtesy of Sovascore Impressive. He created three big chances and averaged 1.6 key passes per game. The wing-back is also a hard worker off the ball, averaging 2.4 recoveries per game.
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Quinda statistics in the Portuguese Premier League 2024/25 |
|
|---|---|
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Statistics |
number |
|
games |
16 |
|
Touches in every match |
46.4 |
|
It created great opportunities |
3 |
|
Key passes for each match |
1.6 |
|
Recovering the ball per game |
2.4 |
|
Dribbling success rate per match |
53% |
|
Duels won in each match |
3 |
|
Statistics from SofaScore |
|
Although he is only 17 years old, the sportsman is already being called a “special” talent. Such as football scout Antonio Mango. Kwenda could be the man to help turn around United's fortunes under Amorim.
He knows the system he plays in and is highly regarded. It's a big investment for INEOS to make, but perhaps a necessary one.
