Sir Alex Ferguson's trusted ally identifies two Man Utd players to be axed by Ruben Amorim

Formercoach believes and will be two casualties of 's reign at Old Trafford as the Portuguese boss prepares to become the next manager at Old Trafford.

over the talented 39-year-old coach, with a compensation fee of £10million believed to have been agreed, though he is not expected to take over officially until after the next international break next month.

Amorim is set to arrive following the sacking of Erik ten Hag - who was axed following the worst start to a season in United's history, with the team languishing in 14th place.

Meulensteen - who was a trusted first team coach under Sir during 14 years at the club - believes his arrival will spell the end for Casemiro and Eriksen, saying the new manager will need players with "energy" as he claimed a number of stars might struggle to adapt to his new methods.

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He told : "In the midfield, you would think that maybe Casemiro and [Christian] Eriksen would lose out because, obviously you need energy and as well as that, the ability to find the passes between the lines and in the pockets.

"However, this system may see all players struggle in certain positions because it is something different than what [Erik] Ten hag was playing, who was opting more for a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-3-3 so it is interesting to see how he could go about that with this group of players."

Casemiro - who has been with United since a £70m move in 2022 - has come under fire for a string of errors during recent performances, while Eriksen has been widely tipped to depart next summer at the end of his contract.

Meulensteen - who managed and Maccabi Haifa after leaving United - had a more optimistic outlook for , who he feels could thrive in a back four if Amorim chooses to deploy one at Old Trafford and says the hire spells good news for other defenders too.

"I think this could be a big chance for Harry Maguire," he added. "I am not sure if Amorim sticks with that 3-4-3 formation he plays at Sporting though."

He went on: "It could benefit players, there are a number of centre backs that are used to playing in a back three, whether it is [Lisandro] Martinez alongside [Matthijs] De Ligt and maybe the young [Lenny] Yoro when he gets fit. Or maybe Maguire fits in there as well."

Ruud van Nistelrooy has been taking interim charge of United since Ten Hag's sacking and led the team to a resounding 5-2 win over City in the Carabao Cup in midweek.

He is set to manage the next three games until after the international break when Amorim is expected to take charge - with United facing three home clashes against , PAOK and Leicester once more.

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