Only at Manchester United can a monumental victory be overshadowed by the discussion surrounding a player who wasn’t even playing.
After dropping Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho from the Manchester derby squad, Ruben Amorim wouldn’t have thought it would stir up such a storm.
The game was won but just two days after the victory, Rashford’s comments on looking for a new challenge stoked the flames on the fire that was thought to have calmed down.
It came after reports that United were open to selling Rashford so when Ruben Amorim got ready to speak to the press ahead of the Carabao Cup clash vs Tottenham, only one agenda was going to dominate the proceedings.
Fortunately, Amorim didn’t just handle the situation correctly, he showed shades of Sir Alex Ferguson with his masterful management of it.
Ruben Amorim on Marcus Rashford’s situation
A statement from a footballer is seldom the final word since it’s a business that changes all the time but there aren’t many statements harder to come back from than saying it’s time for a new challenge.
That can only mean one thing, especially if that comment comes a day after stories that the club is open to selling the player who said it.
Therefore, Amorim was effectively faced with a no-win situation when asked to clarify Rashford’s position at the club, or so an average manager would think!
The Man Utd manager masterfully tilted the narrative and grabbed it by the scruff of the neck, saying that with the new management at the club and the task of turning it around, Rashford has the perfect “new challenge”.
He refused to get into the details and ended all discussion by declaring that Rashford stays in his plans as long as he trains well, which goes for every player.
The media’s attempts at making a distraction before the game were swatted aside with calm yet firm answers and an issue that threatened to engulf United before a crucial cup game was doused in five minutes.
Ruben Amorim shows shades of Sir Alex Ferguson
The top-level management has become increasingly about man-management and handling the different parts of the job as it is about tactics and setups.
Erik ten Hag found that out the hard way as his perceived lack of charisma ultimately became a stick to beat him with when the results started falling.
At a club like Manchester United, where the scrutiny is unlike any other English club, and probably comparable to only Real Madrid and Barcelona in the world, that skill becomes even more important.
Sir Alex Ferguson was a master at controlling the narrative in the media instead of letting the press run away with it and that’s something which only Jose Mourinho has done since.
However, Mourinho often tilted to the other extreme, protecting his own legacy and achievements and for that, even throwing the club under the bus was fair game.
Amorim had so far struck the perfect balance but in Rashford, he faced his first true media storm. He responded with a masterclass in media management and depending upon the player’s response on the pitch, skillful man-management at the same time.
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