Few head coaches or managers turn to their substitutes' bench quite as often as Ruben Amorim does, which must have made it all the more difficult for the Manchester United boss to ignore his replacements at Tottenham last weekend.
Amorim usually uses all five substitutes in a game, and his record since he's been at Old Trafford shows how often he likes to turn to his bench. Until that game at Spurs, he made 90 out of a possible 100 changes in his 20 games in charge, only twice making just three in-game alterations.
The 40-year-old's system demands a high energy output, and the changes are often about fresh legs. Even in games, he hasn't moved away from his 3-4-2-1 shape at Old Trafford, so switching personnel tend to be about physicality or trying something different. His switches have often worked well.
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But in North London last weekend, he was hamstrung by what must be the most inexperienced subs bench he has ever seen sat behind him. Victor Lindelof was the only one of the nine players to have played for the club before, and he hadn't been featured for two months.
The other eight players were yet to play for United, and the inexperience on the bench was more remarkable. In the end, Amorim waited until stoppage time to bring on 17-year-old striker Chido Obi, who didn't get a touch of the ball on his professional debut.
Amorim should have a little more experience available to him this weekend. Leny Yoro and Christian Eriksen should be back from illness, and Manuel Ugarte and Toby Collyer might have a chance of recovering from the knocks that kept them out of last weekend.
But he will still be without Amad and Kobbie Mainoo, and some youthful attacking reinforcements will need to be on the bench. Chido Obi will surely be handed another chance, and Amorim should keep faith with 19-year-old attacking midfielder Jack Moorhouse, who can make an impact off the bench with his ball-carrying skills.
Amorim must have been tempted to turn to Moorhouse last week as one of his replacements. The teenager has enjoyed a rapid rise in academy circles this season, scoring three times in his last four Premier League 2 appearances, including a brace in a superb performance against Southampton in December.
He also caught the eye in the National League Cup, a new competition for United's Under-21s pitting them against non-league clubs. He scored against Oldham and ran the midfield against Altrincham, regularly driving through the middle of the pitch with the ball to get his side on the attack.
Moorhouse made his debut for the Under-18s when he was still 15, but his progress has really accelerated this season. He has been involved in some first-team training sessions before being named in the travelling squad for the trip to Tottenham.
He didn't get to make his debut last weekend, but if Amorim needs to included him among the replacements this weekend, there is no doubt he is capable of filling one of those No. 10 roles. The United head coach wants to protect those young players and there is a risk in throwing them in to a team that is struggling, but Moorhouse might have the skillset to offer something different.
