Manchester United Squad Depth Exposed as Youth-Dominated Bench Faces Leeds

Manchester United’s thin squad depth was laid bare ahead of their Sunday clash with Leeds United, with the substitutes’ bench offering a combined total of just 1,110 minutes of first-team action this season.

Ruben Amorim has been forced to operate with limited resources due to a combination of injuries and international absences. Club captain Bruno Fernandes remains sidelined, while Bryan Mbeumo, Amad Diallo and Noussair Mazraoui are all away on Africa Cup of Nations duty. Even in central defence, regular options have been scarce, with Lisandro Martínez and Ayden Heaven having logged only 320 and 532 minutes respectively across the campaign.

These shortages resulted in a matchday bench dominated by youth players. Only two outfield substitutes could be considered established senior professionals: goalkeeper Altay Bayindir, who has featured for 540 minutes across six appearances, and forward Joshua Zirkzee, who has accumulated 438 minutes in 12 outings.

Left-back Tyrell Malacia was also named among the substitutes but has struggled to regain fitness since joining from Feyenoord in 2022. After an injury-hit spell, he spent last season on loan at PSV Eindhoven and has managed just two minutes of action this term.

The rest of the bench reflected United’s reliance on their academy. Twins Jack Fletcher, who has played 107 minutes over three appearances, and Tyler Fletcher, yet to make his senior debut, were included. The pair joined United from Manchester City’s academy in 2023 and are the sons of former club stalwart Darren Fletcher.

Teenagers also made up a significant portion of the substitutes, including 17-year-old midfielder Bendito Mantato and 18-year-old winger Shea Lacey, who have featured for 15 and six minutes respectively. Defensive options Tyler Fredricson and 17-year-old Godwill Kukonki—who is still awaiting his first senior appearance—rounded out the bench.

While Manchester United expect reinforcements to return once the Africa Cup of Nations concludes, the lack of experienced depth on display is likely to push Amorim toward strengthening his squad during the January transfer window.