Are Manchester United finally turning a corner under Ruben Amorim?

Ruben Amorim looked like a broken man sitting on the bench at Grimsby Town. Watching his ailing Manchester United lose to fourth tier opposition in the Carabao Cup, the Portuguese coach appeared to be out of ideas. When the final whistle went on one of the worst results in United’s history, many heard it as the final whistle on Amorim too.

Since then, though, the Old Trafford club has turned a corner. Saturday’s 4-2 win over Brighton was a third successive league victory for Manchester United with Amorim’s side now up to sixth place in the Premier League table. That’s still a long way from where they want to be, but the progress is undeniable.

While the away win over Liverpool at Anfield was Amorim’s most significant result as United manager to date, the performance in the victory over Brighton may have been even more satisfying. The hosts were simply the better team and looked more dangerous in the final third than at any other point of Amorim’s tenure.

Manchester United scored just 44 goals in 38 league games last season. They were one of the lowest scorers in the Premier League and so the club sought to address this by bringing in Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko at a cost of over $250m in the summer transfer window.

Mbeumo has hit the ground running, scoring five goals in his first 10 appearances for his new team. The Cameroonian international has developed an understanding with Amad Diallo down the right wing and is consistently Manchester United’s most potent player in the attacking third.

Cunha missed a chunk of the season through injury, but is now playing in the first team and has caught the eye in his last two games. The Brazilian scored his first United goal in the win over Brighton, but was possibly even more impactful against Liverpool when his ability to absorb possession and relieve pressure was invaluable.

Sesko is the rawest of the three new attackers. Signed for roughly $90m from RB Leipzig, the Slovenian is widely viewed for his potential rather than the player he is currently. Nonetheless, Sesko is starting to contribute more as a focal point and already has two Premier League goals to his name.

Only a few weeks ago, Amorim’s favoured 3-4-3 shape was the subject of intense discussion and debate. It’s fair to say Manchester United’s players were struggling to get to grips with the shape which appeared to be doing more harm than good. It was an awkward fit for Amorim’s squad.

Now, though, there are signs that Manchester United are growing more comfortable in the formation. They are using the wing backs to create overloads in the attack. The centre of midfield hasn’t looked so vulnerable in defensive transition, partly because Cunha has given them more mobility since his return from injury.

On top of Cunha dropping into the centre of the pitch, Amorim has also pushed Luke Shaw out of the back three and into midfield when United are playing against the ball. Not only has this made them harder to play through, but United are positioned higher up the pitch – and closer to goal – when the ball is turned over.

Defensively, Amorim has settled on Leny Yoro as his right-sided centre back with Matthijs De Ligt and Harry Maguire rotating as the central centre back depending on the opposition. De Ligt is more comfortable higher up the field than Maguire while the England international is a stronger penalty box defender.

Systematically, Amorim is finding answers to questions that seemed destined to sink him only a month or so ago. Of course, Manchester United remain a work-in-progress and there will be set-backs. But at long last, Amorim has pointed his side in the right direction. There is reason for optimism at Old Trafford.