Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim says it is “impossible” to replace captain Bruno Fernandes, who is set for up to a month out with injury, but other players “must step up”.
READ MORE: ‘Impossible to replace’ – Fernandes could miss up to a month
When it comes to the greatest Premier League game ever, where do you even start?
Manchester United and Bournemouth served up an eight-goal thriller on Monday, which former Liverpool and England defender Jamie Carragher described as the “best game” so far this season in the English top flight.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Carragher said: “That’s what makes the Premier League the greatest product in the world.
“For the majority of that Manchester United were absolutely fantastic. Bournemouth were not at the races at all in the first half but they were fantastic in the second half. What a game. Brilliant.
“I think we have just seen the best game of the Premier League season so far.”
The Red Devils famously played out a 5-5 draw at West Brom in Sir Alex Ferguson’s final match in charge of the club in 2013.
And United’s 4-4 draw against the Cherries was the 17th time the scoreline has occurred in the Premier League era.
But where does Monday’s match rank among some of the other remarkable contests we have seen down the years?
A T-shirt worn by Kobbie Mainoo’s half-brother was among the post-match talking points at Old Trafford – even after a game as thrilling as the 4-4 draw between Manchester United and Bournemouth.
Jordan Mainoo-Hames wore a ‘free Kobbie Mainoo’ T-shirt during the match, a move that risks making a delicate situation even more fraught.
Mainoo’s United future is the subject of huge debate, with head coach Ruben Amorim yet to hand him a single Premier League start this season.
Amorim has defended himself on numerous occasions against allegations he does not rate Mainoo and that he has no trust in United’s academy.
The 20-year-old was keen to join Napoli in the summer but United refused to sanction the move.
Mainoo was introduced to rapturous applause with just under 30 minutes left of Monday’s game against Bournemouth. It was his third-longest runout in a Premier League match this season, taking his minutes for the campaign to 302.
It is understood that Napoli are still keen to sign the England international – as are a large number of other clubs.
But United know if they were to let Mainoo leave for the remainder of the campaign to improve his chances of making England’s World Cup squad, they would have to spend significantly more to bring in a replacement because he is on relatively low wages.
Amorim was not asked about the T-shirt post-match, but spoke about Mainoo last Friday.
He refused to say if he would sanction a January move but he would welcome Mainoo seeking him out for a chat.
“I had some conversations with him, especially last year, and with other players, but about that subject, no, I didn’t speak with him,” said Amorim.
“I will be really pleased if Kobbie comes to talk to me about that. I just want my players happy.
“I understand every individual has their goals and the frustration doesn’t help anybody.
“I’m not going to say what I would say but I would talk to him.
“I am completely open, that is clear. I have my ideas and that is also clear. I will not change if I don’t believe it but I’m open to speak with any player. I love that.”
Amorim has not just upset Mainoo recently.
Before the Bournemouth game, he claimed 18-year-old defender Harry Amass was “struggling in the Championship” with Sheffield Wednesday, even though he is the club’s player of the month. In addition, he said 18-year-old forward Chido Obi was “not always a starter in the Under-21s”.
The comments are understood to have gone down badly with both player representatives and senior academy staff.
Both 18-year-olds posted on social media highlighting their achievements before later deleting their posts.
Amass posted a photo holding Sheffield Wednesday’s player of the month award for November with a smiling emoji, while Obi also posted an Instagram story showing him celebrating a goal for the Under-21s against Manchester City in August.
Skinner’s reminder of Lyon’s ability cannot be ignored as they boasted a side including 2018 Ballon d’Or winner Ada Hegerberg and USA World Cup winner Lindsey Heaps.
Legendary France centre-back Wendie Renard was an unused substitute and elite players such as Lily Yohannes, Kadidiatou Diani and Marie-Antoinette Katoto all came on in the second half.
That quality and the “speed and physicality” were the differences on the night, according to Skinner, but he also recognised the gap between United and Europe’s elite.
“Theirs is the upper echelon of that,” added Skinner. “They pay for it. They have grown in experience and have built that team over a long period of time.
“The reality is you have to be at your game in every moment because if not, they can take their opportunities. They were the better team – but I would expect them to be.
“It’s a juxtaposition because I don’t want to lose games. But we also have to take a moment and go, we’ve already qualified, let’s see where we go.
“All the things you see, I see. I also know what the fix is, but you can’t do it in one moment, you have to build it. We are progressing.”
Lyon boss Jonatan Giraldez described United’s season as “super positive” and said the answer to progress is about building a mentality to be better than the day before.
United’s challenge will only get greater as they look to continue their journey in the Champions League.
They currently sit ninth in the 18-team league table and occupying an unseeded position for the play-offs.
If they can climb at least one place, they will be seeded and avoid stronger opposition.
Skinner said that gives them more incentive to perform in their final league phase match against sixth-placed Juventus on 17 December – but just getting to this stage has been an achievement.
“When you go into the knockout stages, it is what it is. You have to play the best teams,” he added.
“We go [to Juventus] with confidence to try to win the game and see what happens. Our objective was always to qualify and we have done that. Where we finish is a bonus.”