Manchester United suffer but Ruben Amorim could cure ailing psyche

Effective treatment requires going backwards to go forwards and it is easy to chortle that under Amorim, United have done just that. When the request was refused, he was clear this made suffering inevitable, as it is when renewing an ailing psyche. Otherwise, though it is true that wing-back in an Amorim team is a specialised role demanding a bespoke profile, the remaining midfielders and strikers were not exactly excelling in a different formation. It is unfortunate that Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho, two of United’s best young players, are not obvious fits. By appointing Amorim, United submitted themselves to the process, and even if he cannot finish the job, the integrity of his diagnostics will benefit them for years to come.