Ruben Amorim's three line-ups should Manchester United nightmare come true vs Man City

Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim faces a nervous wait ahead of his third Manchester derby on the other side of the international break

Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim reacts during the victory against Burnley(Image: Jan Kruger/Getty Images)

Manchester United are in the midst of the first international break of the season and while for many supporters this is a time to have a breather and take stock on the campaign so far, for Ruben Amorim his mind will be racing.

While undoubtedly he will have been relieved to have picked up his first victory of the season at home to Burnley last Saturday, performances have been a mixed bag and the defeat to Grimsby Town, particularly in the first half, will have concerned him greatly. Not only that, but there are lingering concerns about injury issues at Old Trafford.

Both Matheus Cunha and Mason Mount are doubts for the return of the Premier League. A problem at any time but the fact that the derby against Manchester City is the first fixture back makes this the worst possible moment for this issue to arise.

At this stage, there is still the possibility that both players are fit to travel to the Etihad Stadium. But should either man or - dare we say it - both, are unavailable, Amorim needs to have line-ups in mind to prepare for that.

With this in mind, MEN Sport has taken a look at how the team could look against City should they be missing at least one of the starters from the victory against Burnley.

Without Mount

Should Mount be unavailable for the fixture, it could give United fans the opportunity to see all of their three new attacking signings start together in the Premier League. Cunha would drop into the second No.10 role alongside Bryan Mbeumo.

Then, as can be shown below, Benjamin Sesko would be given the nod up front. Spoiler alert here, Sesko receives the nod in all of these line-ups...

Manchester United's potential line-up against Manchester City without Mason Mount

Without Cunha

This scenario is perhaps more likely as we know Cunha has dropped out of the upcoming Brazil squad which leaves some concern for the Reds. To keep things as stable as possible, we reckon that Amorim would look to make a straight swap with Sesko coming in for the ex-Wolves man.

Manchester United's starting line-up vs Manchester City without Matheus Cunha

Without Mount and Cunha

Perhaps the nuclear option and the one which Amorim is desperate to avoid would see both players out of the Manchester derby. Should this happen, it would require a more major rejig of the midfield and attack.

Sesko, once again, shall come into the line-up but Mount and Cunha's absence would thrust Bruno Fernandes into a more prominent role as a No.10 alongside Mbeumo. This would, of course, leave a gap deeper in the midfield.

United would need to fill that with either Kobbie Mainoo or Manuel Ugarte. In our view, the former would be the more comfortable replacement for the captain but Amorim may feel that two more defensively-minded midfielders would suit the team better against City.

Manchester United's XI against Manchester City without Mason Mount and Matheus Cunha

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