Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim stood by his decision to introduce two defensive players, Patrick Dorgu and Noussair Mazraoui, in the second half of his team’s 2-2 draw against Nottingham Forest on Saturday November 1, 2025, despite criticism.
With the score tied and attacking options available on the bench, Amorim’s move to bring on defenders instead of forwards like Joshua Zirkzee and Kobbie Mainoo raised eyebrows.
The manager, however, explained that his substitutions were dictated by tactical necessity rather than simply adding numbers up front.
“Sometimes it’s not if you put more strikers I don’t feel that we are going to play better,” Amorim stated in his post-match press conference.
He clarified that the intent was to use the specific characteristics of the players to exploit the wings, noting that wide players were required to “go to the side and cross” to utilize the available space.
Amorim specifically highlighted the role of one of his central defenders, Leny Yoro, as justification for this focus on the flanks.
He was looking to replace a player with a natural tendency to cut inside, and an observation about Yoro’s positioning further cemented his plan.
“If you see the start of the second half, Leny [Yoro] is always the one with the space to run with the ball,” Amorim explained.
This observation reinforced the need to use wide areas, leading him to introduce full-backs like Mazraoui who are comfortable in those positions to push the play wider.
“We try to use the characteristics of the players, and then is not the quality because we have a lot of quality on the bench,” he added, ensuring his comments were not seen as a slight against his attacking reserves.
Amorim also cited a reluctance to disrupt the flow of the game, believing his side was finding their rhythm as the second half wore on.
“Sometimes I had the feeling if I’m going to stop the game all the time I’m going to break something and I think we were improving during the second half,” he explained.
Despite admitting the draw felt like two points dropped, the manager praised the team’s resilience.
He concluded with a positive outlook on the team’s future, stressing, “we have potential to play so much better and that is the goal.”
