Man United dealt ‘huge’ blow ahead of Arsenal clash – Insider
Man United have been dealt a “huge” blow by losing both Kobbie Mainoo and Lisandro Martinez for the visit to Arsenal, according to the club’s former chief scout.
Mick Brown, who spent over a decade at United during their most successful period and remains very well-connected there, exclusively told Football Insider that Ruben Amorim will have a difficult decision to make ahead of a difficult game.
He explained that, upon Mainoo’s return from injury, the coaches were trying to ease him back to full fitness but that plan will be affected by him missing a game.
Meanwhile, Martinez has been tipped as a nailed-on starter in Amorim’s side as the left-sided centre-back, but he will now have to utilise his other options.
Brown explained that, while there are a number of options for the boss to choose from, there are no like-for-like options for either key man, which could cause issues.
A trip to face Arsenal at the Emirates was always going to be a difficult test for United, but their issues have been made clear by this latest blow.
Ruben Amorim dealt selection blow ahead of Man United v Arsenal
Brown previously told Football Insider that Amorim is facing issues with deciding his first-choice starting XI with players slowly returning from injuries and spells on the sidelines.
The former scout, who has worked closely with top managers including the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson and Ron Atkinson, insisted that the boss will now face a selection dilemma to decide which players could replace the first-choice duo.
“Losing those two is a huge blow for them,” he told Football Insider.
“Going away to Arsenal is going to be difficult at the best of times, so they could’ve done with two key players being available and in the team.
“Mainoo has been out injured and they were being selective with easing him back in.
“He’s an important player and a real gem, but just after getting him back to a good level of fitness, all of a sudden he’s missing again.
“Martinez looks like being the answer to the issues they’ve had at left-centre back, but he’s out too.
“So Amorim is going to face a bit of an issue about how he’s going to replace them.
“Does he go like-for-like or does he change things slightly? He’s got options in both positions but it’ll be difficult to maintain the level of quality with different players.”
In other news, United scouts have been closely watching Matheus Cunha this season.
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