Diogo Darott returns to Manchester United’s trip to Brentford on Saturday, but he faces a fight to regain Reuben Amorim’s position in Starting XI.
Manchester United’s Diogo Darott is set to return from injury, and boss Reuben Amorim leaves a defensive headache ahead of Saturday’s lunch clash with Brentford.
Absent from United’s final two matches against Manchester City and Chelsea, Darrott will be part of the team traveling to Brentford on Tuesday, joining training.
Like many of his teammates, the Darrott got off to an inconsistent start to the season, but before an international break he was shining in a dramatic 3-2 victory over Burnley at Old Trafford.
In his victory over Claret, Darott showed off his offensive skills in the left-wing back position, setting Brian Mbemo’s first Old Trafford goal. If he hadn’t been injured during his international mission with Portugal, it’s likely that Darot would have started against City and Chelsea, but Noucea Mazrawie was his place in both games.
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Despite questions surrounding Darott’s defensive discipline and reliability, United boss Amorim appreciates his power and energy, as well as the key attributes of his 3-4-3 formation.
There are also concerns about Darott’s final ball. He found himself in a threatening position in the final third, but ran from Mbeumo’s assist – Joshu Azirky to flick on, cutting the ball for goal, serving as a reminder of his offensive ability.
Patrick Dorgu appears to have secured his position as the back of the left wing, leaving Darott, Mazrawi and Amado to compete for the right wing back roll. Despite being the most offensive of the trio, Amado has struggled to find shape and consistency this season.
In the match against Chelsea, Mazrawi and Dolg played the roles of wingbacks, while Amado was positioned as one of the two No. 10s supporting Benjamin Sesco.
Given that Darrott hasn’t played a competitive game in four weeks, Amorim could stick to the same lineup that successfully catered him against Enzo Maresca’s side for the Brentford match, despite the margin of victory being narrower than necessary.
From now on, it will be interesting to see if Amorim settles into a regular defensive lineup, just like Amorim has attacked midfield. In the middle, his go-to pairings are Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes, but Casemiro is suspended for Saturday’s game following a red card against Chelsea.
His favorite attack trio consists of summer signatures Matheus Cunha, Mbeumo and Sesko.
However, there is more uncertainty in defense. Amorin appeared to have settled in Luke Shaw’s Central 3, Mattigis de Liguto and Renny Yolo, but only dropped the roam in Chelsea’s game in favor of Harry Maguire, who performed well on Saturday and was unhappy in not holding his place.
Meanwhile, Darrott faces a tough battle to regain his spot in the starting lineup. This is a task that will be removed from Saturday’s team and will become even more challenging once United win back-to-back Premier League wins under Amorim for the first time.
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