🔬Player Analysis — Harry Amass
Signed from Watford in 2023, Harry Amass is an England youth international. Whilst he is yet to make his competitive debut for #mufc, he played a significant role during pre-season with Luke Shaw & Tyrell Malacia absent.
[Written by @lebzygold]
Signed from Watford in 2023, Harry Amass is an England youth international. Whilst he is yet to make his competitive debut for #mufc, he played a significant role during pre-season with Luke Shaw & Tyrell Malacia absent.
[Written by @lebzygold]
United have a left-back problem. Whilst Luke Shaw is one of the best LBs in Europe when fit, his fitness is completely unreliable. His supposed backup Tyrell Malacia has spent over a year rehabbing a mysterious knee injury, leaving the first team without a natural left-footed LB.
Finding a player on the market with the versatility, technical security and progressiveness of Luke Shaw is very difficult. Fortunately, United may have their answer at home. Shaw himself has spoken glowingly of Amass, calling him a "young player people should watch out for".
What’s immediately evident about Harry Amass is how physically mature he is for a 17-year-old full-back. His strong, defined legs contribute to his impressive lower body strength, whilst his lowered socks accentuate his powerful calf muscles.
Amass’ strong legs play a significant role in his impressive pace. He possesses elite burst over short distances, allowing him to quickly get ahead of his marker with and without the ball whilst his stamina also means he can sustain excellent speed over long distances.
Amass’ pace is vital to his offensive game. He can use his burst to navigate tight spaces before utilising his quickness over long distances to escape defenders and progress the ball. This is a big reason why he’s a proficient offensive full-back and progressive player.
Naturally, the youngster’s speed is also extremely useful in defensive situations, particularly in transition. Because Amass is so offensive, a turnover can often result in opponents attacking down his flank, but he can use his pace to recover and stop opposition transitions.
It’s difficult to find a definitive height measurement for Amass, with reported measurements of 1.81m almost certainly inaccurate. On top of being a terrific athlete, the youngster has a low centre of gravity, making him even more difficult to force off the ball.
During pre-season, he showcased his impressive physical and technical tools against several senior players, particular during the first half of a clash against Arsenal. One of his standout attributes was his press-resistance against an aggressive Arsenal press.
Considering his age and lack of senior football, his press-resistance is truly outstanding. He possesses fantastic agility, turning quickly and fluidly away from danger before progressing the ball, often with strong and controlled ball-carrying.
This press-resistance is invaluable at the highest level and will greatly help him adjust to senior football, particularly when deployed as an inverted full-back. Whilst he prefers to hold the width and whip crosses into the box, he is capable of inverting confidently.
In the below images, Amass creates space for Rashford who then makes a fantastic pass to Rasmus Højlund to open the scoring. In an era where full-backs are often expected to have the technical abilities of progressive midfielders, Amass thrives in numerous full-back roles.
This ability to invert will play a major role in Amass’ versatility and usefulness in various systems. This is largely due to his technical security. His close control is fantastic and it's effective for his aforementioned press-resistance.
Whilst he’s capable of inverting comfortably, Harry Amass thrives as a wide, attacking full-back. He attacks aggressively, always making himself available to his winger as an overlapping — and underlapping — option to receive the ball or simply create space for the winger.
When in advanced positions, Amass is a willing and committed passer and crosser of the ball. His ball-striking is reliable and he can generate tremendous whip and drive on his crosses. That said, his accuracy is fairly inconsistent and can certainly be improved upon.
As both an advanced passer and crosser, he occasionally rushes his actions due to his inclination to be aggressive as often as possible. This can result in him being overzealous and losing the technical security that makes him so comfortable under pressure.
Naturally, this is a part of the game that should improve with experience for the England youth international. As he matures as a footballer, so will his decision-making and composure in these situations, allowing him to use his high-quality technique more effectively.
Unsurprisingly, Amass is a tenacious defender. Despite his height (or lack thereof), he’s aggressive and fearless when engaging in duels, regardless of the opponent. As an on-ball defender, this tenacity makes him a nightmare for opposing wingers and other attackers.
Growing up, Amass was often one of the smallest players on the pitch, so his bravery and controlled aggression was vital to his success as he progressed as a young player. He's still shorter than average but uses his tireless motor and aggressive defensive style to win duels.
These traits have made the youngster a formidable on-ball defender and one of the best 1v1 defenders in the country in his age group. However, at 17 years old, he still has significant lapses in concentration, specifically off the ball, that can be damaging to his team.
These lapses in concentration generally occur when Amass believes he's defended a situation and subsequently relaxes but fails to track his opponent's off-ball movement. This was one of the criticisms often levelled against Aaron Wan-Bissaka as an off-ball defender.
The particular lapse in concentration in the previous post results in a goal for Real Betis and largely stems from Amass relaxing when he believes the danger is gone and subsequently losing his manwho finds space in the box.
This may be a barrier to giving the full-back significant senior minutes at this stage, but it's something he can still work onand improve with first team football. Additional minutes for United’s youth and senior teams vs. weaker opponents will be valuable to his progress.
Harry Amass’ potential is undeniable and, with the club's left-back problems, he'll almost certainly receive first team minutes this season. Being mentored by Luke Shaw would be a fantastic experience for Amass as he looks to succeed the United star.
It was disappointing not to see the England starlet appear during United’s 7-0 demolition of Barnsley in the Carabao Cup, but Ten Hag is likely currently focused on improving the senior players’ match fitness. I have no doubt that Amass will receive his opportunities this season.
جاري تحميل الاقتراحات...