Amorim gamble pays off as United make point

THIS is what happens when you roll the dice, Ruben.

- By TYRONE MARSHALL

Five days after another negative substitution angered Manchester United fans at Old Trafford, Ruben Amorim showed some intent from the bench at Elland Road and got his rewards.

Maybe Amorim had little option but to play the role of the gambler in West Yorkshire. He had picked a team featuring eight defensive players and once Brenden Aaronson had given Leeds the lead it was time to play his chips.

But the speed at which Amorim did so was still surprising. Before the game had even restarted, Joshua Zirkzee was stripped and ready to come on and Leny Yoro was trudging towards the touchline.

Three minutes later, Zirkzee found a pocket of space he would exploit regularly in a lively cameo and his pass through was rolled in by Matheus Cunha.

United found the immediate response they needed - and deserved - and any danger of this assignment getting as uncomfortable as it could have done petered out.

Will this convince Amorim to be more gung-ho in the future? Perhaps not. But it does feel like things are changing at Old Trafford. The head coach has mixed up his system recently, whether through his own design or orders from above and his comments in Friday's press conference suggested unity might suddenly be in short supply.