With Erik ten Hag in the rearview mirror, Ruben Amorim has finally started his Manchester United tenure – and three of his new first-team stars have been put on notice
Alejandro Garnacho, Amad Diallo and Marcus Rashford have been told they must improve as Ruben Amorim arrives at Manchester United.
Despite a slight upturn in form under interim boss Ruud van Nistelrooy in the wake of Erik ten Hag’s dismissal, the Red Devils remain 13th in the English top flight and are still miles of the pace.
Amorim now steps in, hoping to right the ship. He brings with him a fresh mentality and tactical overhaul, and players eagerly await where they’ll fit in his three-at-the-back formation.
Emmanuel Petit has singled out the three wingers, who will likely battle it out for first-team minutes, but the Frenchman believes that none of the trio should start for United – and that the Portuguese coach has a job on his hands improving things out wide.
“For me, the quality of players at Manchester United in some positions is not good enough,” former Arsenal and Chelsea ace Petit told Instant Casino.
“Starting from the midfield, I think they need to add quality players and wingers as well. I’m sorry, but I’m not totally convinced about Garnacho, about Amad, Rashford. He’s got a lot of work to do.”
Contrary to Petit’s statement, Amad has been firing lately, notching a double mid-week against PAOK in the Europa League before setting up Bruno Fernandes’ opener in their last outing versus Leicester. Garnacho netted his side’s third goal in that clash and is the Red Devils’ top league goal scorer this season with three.
The odd one out of Petit’s shunned collective is out-of-sorts Englishman Rashford, who has been the subject of endless criticism this campaign, failing to get a shot off on his first three starts under Ten Hag and continuing to disappoint. He was substituted after just 57 minutes against the Foxes.
Former United chief scout Mick Brown was asked about Rashford’s drop-off, citing the 27-year-old’s general inconsistency as the primary issue holding him back.
“He’s very much a Manchester boy; he’s got Man United running through his veins, and that’s okay up to a point, but his performances have been too up and down,” Brown told Football Insider.
“There’s no consistency, and it’s that inconsistency which has cost him and cost United this season. I don’t know what his problem is or why he’s struggling. He’s got all the talent in the world but never finishes a game. He’s always taken off. I’ve got great belief in Marcus’ ability, but all too often, he doesn’t show it.“
Brown continued, admitting that Amorim will have a vital decision to make during his United beginnings as to whether Rashford is worth playing or whether he is dropped.
“When the new manager comes in, he’ll assess where he thinks he’s at, and then he’ll make a decision,” Brown added. “It’ll be up to him to determine the level he’s playing at and try to get the best out of him because it wasn’t working under Ten Hag.”
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