On Thursday night, Ruben Amorim will have been left feeling a little embarrassed after Marcus Rashford lit up the Champions League for Barcelona.
Returning to England to take on Newcastle, Marcus Rashford will have had ambitions of reminding the nation what he is all about.
This is exactly what happened, with Rashford scoring twice for Barcelona, with his second goal in particular being a special strike.
Rashford was lauded by Bruno Fernandes for the goal, while Manchester United fans were also impressed.
Seeing an academy graduate shine on the biggest stage raises the question of why the club allowed Ruben Amorim to get rid of the 27-year-old, when the head coach has shown little to justify that backing.
However, watching Barcelona and Rashford makes it clear that United’s future cannot be without two key aspects of club DNA.
Marcus Rashford’s performance shows where Manchester United must change
Rashford showed his absolute best level for Barcelona on Thursday night. After the game, Hansi Flick raved that Rashford had the qualities Barcelona needed.
For Barcelona, Rashford was starting on the left wing, a position which is currently occupied by Patrick Dorgu at Old Trafford, which has sparked a desire to see the Red Devils playing with proper wingers again.
Looking back through United’s successful periods, it has always seen flying wingers, which is the United way.
Seeing this in action with Barcelona only adds to the frustration at having to watch Amorim’s 3-4-2-1, which has been terrible for 10 months.
If United were playing a 4-3-3, it could have meant a wing pairing of Bryan Mbeumo and Marcus Rashford, which is potentially unstoppable and a duo that would revive the United DNA of exciting wingers.
Amorim needs to consider returning United to the club’s roots instead of dying by his system, with a 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3 far better fitting for the squad.
This is a move that might save his career at Old Trafford, but there is another he must amend.
- READ MORE: Who is Marcus Rashford? Inside the life of Man Utd’s book-writing, government-tackling ace
Ruben Amorim needs to throw his faith into Carrington
Barcelona’s return to success in recent years has been built on utilising their talented academy and using a system to platform these youngsters.
Frustratingly, this is something that Sir Alex Ferguson built the club on doing, but now seems further from being copied than ever before.
Just this week, there have been several former United academy players in Champions League action, making it clear they have upgraded after being unwanted at the club.
- Alejandro Garnacho
- Alvaro Fernandez
- Angel Gomes
- Anthony Elanga
- Mason Greenwood
- Marcus Rashford
- Scott McTominay
Most of these players get into the United team right now, and it raises the question of why the club has gone down a route of not trusting the academy.
United’s current academy crop, such as Jim Thwaites, Shea Lacey, and Jack Fletcher, needs to be built around the long term.
It would be an easy win for Amorim to use the youth, and it could be the blueprint for a successful future.
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