The mood around Manchester United has done a 180-degree flip after the win against Liverpool at Anfield, but Ruben Amorim still had to placate an ‘upset’ player afterwards.
Ruben Amorim’s decisions paid off big-time in a crunch game at Anfield in the 2-1 victory that marked the first time Man Utd have won consecutive games under him.
From selecting Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt, to Amad at wing-back, dropping Benjamin Sesko and retaining Casemiro despite his international travels, everything aged well.
A win paints a shine over everything, and the Man Utd manager found the ‘perfect’ player for his system, but not before making him upset due to what he did during the game.
Ruben Amorim reveals how he ‘upset’ Amad
Amad at wing-back despite Liverpool’s attacking riches was the main brave call Amorim needed to take, and the Ivorian didn’t let him down.
He formed a devastating partnership with Bryan Mbeumo and tormented Milos Kerkez from minute one, leading to Amorim calling him ‘perfect’ for the wing-back position in his system.
However, Amad had picked up a yellow card, which made it a tricky proposition for Amorim to keep him on the pitch in an increasingly intense game.
Amorim’s reasoning made perfect sense, and Patrick Dorgu did a fine job of seeing the win through after coming on, but Amad was still left upset at his sub, as the manager revealed after the game.
He said: “Amad is perfect for that position. He was upset today when I made a sub, but it was a yellow card. There was a lot of man-to-man on the side.
So, it was just about that. If not, he will continue in the game because he’s so important for us. He struggled these weeks, but we are here for him, and that’s the most important thing.”
Amad is an example at Man Utd
Putting United’s most reliable attacking threat last season into a wing-back position didn’t make much sense at the surface level, but the player and the manager deserve credit.
Amorim saw a spark in Amad, and the player worked hard to readjust his game to a new position when he was loving life further forward.
The result is a nice compromise where Amad is still an attacking threat, and the team’s balance is better for it holistically.
It stands as an example for players who want to succeed at the club because it’s a lesson on listening to the manager and working with him for the benefit of the team.
In the process, you might just stand out and raise your reputation as well.
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
