Ruben Amorim is still getting to know his players at Manchester United.
After taking the Manchester United job in November, Ruben Amorim has struggled with the team, which is sat 14th in the Premier League and out of the FA Cup.
United suffered defeat against Fulham in the FA Cup fifth round on Sunday, losing on penalties, with Victor Lindelof and Joshua Zirkzee being denied from the spot.
This means United will not be defending their FA Cup crown after going all the way in the competition last season, with the Reds beating Manchester City 2-1 in the final.
It is a huge blow because it lessens United’s chances of winning silverware. Now, the only way for Amorim to win a trophy this season is by winning the Europa League outright.
Only time will tell if United’s first team is strong enough to achieve such a feat.
Phil Bardsley impressed by Ayden Heaven
Although United crashed out of the FA Cup on Sunday, it was a special occasion for Ayden Heaven, who joined the Reds from Arsenal in January.
The 18-year-old made his United first-team debut against Fulham and will now aim to get more minutes under his belt in the coming weeks.
After replacing Harry Maguire in the 90th minute, Heaven had a relatively solid debut to earn praise from MUTV pundit and former United academy graduate Phil Bardsley.
“We was talking while he [Heaven] was playing, for a young player his positional sense was outstanding. He got some really good clearances,” Bardsley told MUTV during a live broadcast.
“Listen, if you’re a young player at Man United now you’ve got to make sure you’re ready because there’s chances and opportunities.
“The manager is not afraid to throw you in, they have to make sure they train well and make an impact.”
Ruben Amorim trusts Manchester United youth
After being included in United’s updated squad list for the Europa League knockout phase, Heaven will be hoping to make his first appearance in the competition on Thursday night when United take on Real Sociedad.
United travel to San Sebastian this week for the first leg of the tie and Amorim has a number of young players he could give experience to.
The United head coach may stick with the strongest defence he has at his disposal – a back three consisting of Matthijs de Ligt, Harry Maguire and Leny Yoro – but Heaven impressed on Sunday and arguably deserves minutes ahead of Linedlof.
Heaven may not start the game against Real Sociedad, but his short cameo against Fulham puts him in contention to play consecutive games.
Amorim could also look to Chido Obi in the attacking department after already giving the 17-year-old three appearances from the bench in recent weeks.
Trusting youth players is an important trait to have in a United manager and Amorim has already shown he will respect the club’s proud tradition of producing players from the academy, even if the two youngsters mentioned — Heaven and Obi — came from Arsenal.
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