Ruben Amorim singles out the surprise Man United player he ‘needs’ the most

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Ruben Amorim is under pressure at Manchester United and badly needs a result against Chelsea this weekend to stave off more sack speculation.

TBR Football exclusively revealed that Man United can afford to dismiss Amorim if their dire form continues, after they endured their worst start to a Premier League campaign since 1992-93.

Co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe flew to the club’s Carrington training ground on Thursday to hold talks with the manager, who insisted he had been given a show of support.

He has also been handed another timely boost with Matheus Cunha and Mason Mount available again for the must-win showdown at Old Trafford on Saturday night.

However, Amorim believes Manchester United are still desperately missing another of their big names.

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Ruben Amorim says Man United need Lisandro Martinez back

Lisandro Martinez has been ruled out of action since February, after undergoing surgery on a knee ligament injury he suffered against Crystal Palace.

Martinez was hailed as one of the best defenders in the Premier League, and he has made promising progress on his road to recovery and was spotted training on the grass earlier this week.

Ruben Amorim openly admitted United “need” Martinez back because of one invaluable trait.

“It’s really important [that Martinez is nearing a return],” Amorim said in his pre-match press conference. “When you have that injury you recover a lot of times very fast and then there is a boring part where it looks like you don’t go to the next step.

“We miss Licha a lot. We miss the aggression in this moment, how aggressive he is on everything he does, we miss him. But he’s always there in every meeting, even in training, he stays there to watch the training.

“I think we need Licha in this team.”

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Lisandro Martinez must start for Man United once fit

With Amorim sticking to his failing formation, it falls to United’s defenders to step up more when under pressure.

During most matches in his reign, there has been obvious confusion around the gap between the midfield and the backline, allowing opponents to drop in and exploit space.

Pep Guardiola said Martinez was one of the top five defenders in the world, and the centre back is also not one to shirk a tackle. Once he returns, he will surely be braver and sharper than his team-mates.

This should, at least in theory, make United harder to play through.

He is also a natural leader and United need big voices to marshal them through tricky moments.

It’s no wonder, then, that Amorim is counting down the days until his lieutenant is fit again.