Ruben Amorim needed a marquee game and a statement decision to fully stamp his authority at Manchester United and with the Manchester derby, he did both in one game.
Victory was secured at the Etihad Stadium and Marcus Rashford being dropped from the squad, along with Alejandro Garnacho, was as big a statement as it comes.
Garnacho quickly made his way back into the team, making an appearance off the bench against Spurs but Rashford remains on the outside looking in.
Rashford’s comments on seeking a new challenge haven’t helped calm the frenzy around him and even though Amorim has handled it masterfully so far, it’s a distraction he could have been without.
Alan Shearer has praised the Man Utd manager for his handling of the situation but suggested that he hasn’t been completely honest about it, but with good reason.
Alan Shearer decodes Marcus Rashford-Ruben Amorim dynamic
When Amorim arrived at Old Trafford, Marcus Rashford was marked out as one of the potential losers because the position he plays doesn’t exist in Amorim’s system.
That prediction came true after six games as the manager admitted that they kept trying to put him in the team but it didn’t work so they had to change.
To compound the misery for Rashford, Amad has come into the team and flew off the blocks, effectively sealing a place for himself in one of the three spots he could have been selected for.
Through it all, Amorim has maintained his stance that there remains a way back for the player provided he trains well and shows readiness to return.
Shearer, however, suggested recently on The Rest is Football podcast that Amorim’s public stance is probably not his true feeling and he’s just doing that for one reason.
Shearer said: “When you hear him [Amorim], he also realises he’s got an asset of the football club he has to protect. You’ve got a player coming out [Rashford seeking new challenge], I’m pretty sure he surprises the whole football club with what he had to say.
“The manager has to then sit in a press conference, he has an asset of the football club he has to somehow try and protect him so you’re not quite sure whether he actually means it [way back for Rashford].
“I don’t think he will be. What he probably says in public is because he wants to protect the football club rather than the individual and with him leaving him out suggests that things haven’t been right. He hasn’t liked what he’s seen in the first few weeks.”
Amorim’s stance makes perfect sense
Rashford is on a contract till 2027 that pays him nearly £300k/week, a wage that no team in their right financial sense will match for the current version of the player.
Therefore, United face a tall order as it is to shift him. So, they can do without additional weakening of their potential negotiating stance by worsening things further.
By maintaining the stance of keeping the door open for his return, Rashford’s value as an asset is protected because had Amorim said he wasn’t in his plans anymore, interested clubs would lowball United.
More importantly, just not using a player on those wages adds stress to a wage bill that was already out of control under the Glazers’ management.
The manager has preferred to deal with the problem privately while maintaining a calm demeanour in public, which is just the way it should be.
It might well end with Rashford leaving, which looks like the most likely scenario, but until that happens, Amorim won’t give anything away.
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