Ruben Amorim has been on a mission to make the Man Utd youngsters realise the privilege they have of potentially debuting for the club, and two wonderkids might just have passed his toughest test.
Despite facing criticism and backlash for his comments about Man Utd’s academy players, Chido Obi and Harry Amass in particular, Ruben Amorim refused to back down.
If anything, he doubled down on it, calling out a feeling of “entitlement” among the youngsters, where they feel secure in replying to the manager via cryptic posts on social media.
Does Ruben Amorim need to improve his use of the academy?⭐️
It’s clear that Amorim is aiming for a cultural reset at Old Trafford, and two Man Utd wonderkids could be the face of that reset because, by his own admission, they seem to have passed his toughest test.
Ruben Amorim approves Jack Fletcher and Shea Lacey’s “behaviour”
Giving a debut just for the sake of it means nothing at Man Utd, as Obi would have realised by now.
Amorim publicly admitted that he was played last season out of necessity before he was ready, and that’s reflected in his squad status this season.
From Obi to Amass and Tyler Fredricson, youngsters who played a lot last season have gone MIA either at the club or been sent on loan.
The first two debuts this season came against Aston Villa when Jack Fletcher and Shea Lacey were introduced.
Both felt earned, because they had made the bench regularly before finally getting their chance, but if previous debuts were any indication, the work begins after the debut.
To their credit, both Lacey and Fletcher seem to have passed Amorim’s toughest test, as he approved their “behaviour” after getting their debut.
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These were his fourth and fifth academy debutants in 13 months…
He said: “The behaviour they [Jack Fletcher and Shea Lacey] showed during these weeks is really good. I don’t have that feeling that [they think] “I’m a little bit different because I played for Man United.”
Considering that Amorim’s biggest gripe with the likes of Obi, Amass, and the narrative around Kobbie Mainoo was that there’s no gratefulness about playing for the club, his comments about Lacey and Fletcher speak volumes.
Amorim will increase Lacey and Fletcher’s role
Much like Casemiro has become an example for Amorim to hammer home the message that players can change his mind, expect Lacey and Fletcher to become his academy flag-bearers.
Both had to bide their time on the bench before getting their debut, but they kept plugging away on the training pitch instead of throwing their toys out of the pram.
Now that Amorim has praised their behaviour, he’ll undoubtedly reward both players with an increased role to facilitate their breakout.
It will strengthen his own position as well, as he has been accused of not rating the academy. He can now make the point that he has raised the standards instead of handing out debuts.
Antoine Semenyo’s snub is a boost for Lacey anyway, and Fletcher was picked out by Amorim for his performance against Villa.
With the injury crisis not getting any smaller and the fixture list showing no sign of relenting, expect their true breakout to begin now.
They have successfully passed the Amorim vibe check about professionalism for academy players.
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