"He’s been really poor" - Paul Scholes wants Ruben Amorim to make massive Manchester United starting XI change in Europa League final vs Tottenham

Manchester United legend Paul Scholes believes Ruben Amorim should utilize Bruno Fernandes as a False 9 in the Europa League final against Tottenham Hotspur. The sides clash at San Mames on Wednesday, May 21.

In his column for Caught Offside, however, Scholes acknowledged that the Red Devils' head coach will choose Rasmus Hojlund for the big game.

"I would try and start Amad and Garnacho in the final because they’re United’s two biggest goal threats, along with Bruno Fernandes. The best way might be to drop Fernandes back in the central midfield role alongside Casemiro, which has worked well in the past, especially in European games," wrote Scholes.

He continued:

"I think Amorim will start Hojlund in the final because he hasn’t been too bad in the Europa League. He’s looked like a real threat and scored some important goals, but in the Premier League, he’s been really poor."

Nevertheless, the former Manchester United midfielder pointed out that Amorim could learn from Erik ten Hag's approach for the Europa League final.

"If Amorim wanted to change things up, he could play Bruno Fernandes as a false nine just like Ten Hag did in last season’s FA Cup final win over City. I know he’s tried Kobbie Mainoo in that position too, but I don’t think he’s suited to it and Fernandes is a bit more mobile," wrote Scholes.

He continued:

"With Fernandes playing as a false centre-forward, you could also start with Casemiro and Ugarte in central midfield. There are plenty of selection dilemmas for Amorim, but I just hope he gets it right. The problem is the manager doesn’t know what he’s going to get from most of his players on the day."

Manchester United are currently 16th in the Premier League, while Tottenham Hotspur are 17th.

Have Manchester United played in the Europa League final before?

Manchester United have reached the Europa League final on two previous occasions. They first played in the final during the 2016/17 season under Jose Mourinho.

The Red Devils triumphed over Ajax and went on to lift the title for the first time in their history. The Premier League giants found themselves in the Europa League final again in the 2020/21 campaign under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but lost to Villarreal in a penalty shootout. Manchester United will contest their third Europa League final on Wednesday, and a victory could transform their season.

About the author

Deepungsu is a veteran football journalist who has been covering daily transfer roundups and news for over six years at Sportskeeda. He has written 9000 articles for the website, and has garnered over 19.5 million reads.

Deepungsu holds a PG degree in Microbiology and an MBA degree in Total Quality Management. He has an extensive two-decade long writing experience, which includes a decade of sports blogging. His writing prowess has even led his work getting cited on the legendary Franz Beckenbauer's Wikipedia page.

Inspired by Diego Maradona, Deepungsu played as an attacking midfielder for his local club at subdivision level in his initial years and scored an important goal or two. However, his all-time favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and evidently, he feels Argentina's glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment for fulfilling his long-standing dream. He is also an ardent East Bengal fan.

Deepungsu has been a Manchester United supporter since the year 2000. Unsurprisingly, his favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson and the Scotsman helped him get through some of the toughest days of his life. Like the fiery Scot, Deepungsu also leaves no stone unturned when it comes to accuracy in articles and only relies on credible sources.

Despite believing in Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland to create an iconic rivalry, Deepungsu reckons no one can match the longevity of Messi and Ronaldo. He spends his leisure time writing about life on his blog, reading books, and playing the guitar.

Know More

Edited by Vaishnavi Iyer