Ruben Amorim and Manchester United will look to keep their stellar run going as they face Bournemouth in the Premier League on Monday evening
Manchester United will aim to continue their Premier League table climb as they host Bournemouth on Monday. Ruben Amorim’s men bounced back to winning ways last time out against Wolves.
After a dismal previous campaign, Amorim began his first full season in charge at Old Trafford in a lacklustre fashion. But any doubts have since subsided and his team now finds themselves near the summit of the table.
United could climb into the top six with a win on Monday evening, but despite languishing in 14th place, Andoni Iraola’s Cherries will be no pushovers. Amorim could be without some key names for the fixture and one who certainly won’t feature is Harry Maguire.
The England defender suffered a hamstring injury in November’s 2-2 draw with Tottenham and remains sidelined. But he has taken some time to heap praise on a former United boss. Mirror Football brings you all the latest news from Old Trafford.
Harry Maguire makes manager claim
The sidelined Maguire has found gametime tough to come by under Amorim this season starting just four top-flight matches. Reflecting to discovery+, he stated that one of his former coaches, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, was underappreciated during his time as United boss.
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“Ole was brilliant, I think Ole was so underappreciated,” Maguire said. “He never got the recognition for what he was doing. It felt like, again, it was at Manchester United. If he was doing it at any other club he would have had recognition.
“It felt like everyone was waiting for the moment to kick him down, and he never allowed it. He was a real good manager. He had real good staff around him with Kieran [McKenna] and [Michael] Carrick, a fantastic man-manager, he knew how to look after his team and his players.
“It felt like he never really got the recognition and it was a shame really. Ultimately that third season we didn’t do enough, the balance of the team wasn’t what we had the previous two years, but I can’t speak highly enough of Ole.”
Andoni Iraola picks out pair
Ahead of Bournemouth’s clash with United, Cherries boss Iraola has singled out two potential opponents who could give his side a hard time. He said: “Players like Amad, who is now even more important.
“He is an even bigger threat, and we have to be ready to defend difficult duels for the full-backs and for the centre-backs because you have to defend some very good players in open spaces.
“Mason Mount is a very smart player,” he added. “He always takes up good positions. I think he understands and analyses the game really well, to take up spaces on the pitch that he can exploit better.
“Sometimes he plays higher, sometimes lower, sometimes wider, sometimes inside, and obviously, there is a reason he does that. Then he is also a lovely player on the ball if we allow him a lot of time.”
Patrick Dorgu risks suspension
Danish international Patrick Dorgu has often been used by Amorim as his left-sided wing-back, but his minutes have been reduced in recent games, with Diogo Dalot being preferred.
The 21-year-old could make an appearance against Bournemouth, either from the start or off the bench, though he will have to be careful not to pick up a yellow card.
Already this season, Dorgu has been booked in Premier League matches against Arsenal, Brentford, Brighton and Tottenham. If he is to pick up a fifth before the 20th game of the campaign then he will be suspended for one match.
As per The FA’s disciplinary rules, a player who picks up five yellow cards in the first 19 matches of a season will face a one-match suspension. Suspensions do not carry over to the EFL Cup or the FA Cup, and must be served in the Premier League.
It is not just Dorgu who runs the risk of a ban on Monday evening either. Midfielder Casemiro is also walking a tightrope, having picked up four yellow cards as well.
Amorim plays mind games
Amorim is opting to keep his cards close to his chest when it comes to the trio of Amad, Bryan Mbeumo and Noussair Mazraoui. The trio are set to head to the Africa Cup of Nations.
But whether they’d leave before or after this evening’s fixture has remained unclear. And it’s set to stay that way until nearer kick-off, with United leaving their opponents to guess on their availability.
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Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL package
Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £336 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games next season, an increase of up to 100 more.
