Ruben Amorim and his Manchester United subs
Ruben Amorim is getting a reputation as a rotator at Manchester United
Maybe the clue to Amad’s surprise demotion to the bench for Manchester United’s trip to Arsenal came at the end of an answer Ruben Amorim gave about the 22-year-old after his eye-catching performance against Everton.
Amad played 90 minutes against the Toffees, and although Marcus Rashford and Joshua Zirkzee scored, Amad was once again the undisputed star man. His creativity, dribbling, and pressing were all outstanding.
He has been the standout performer of the Amorim era so far and an electrifying presence at right wing-back, but for the toughest test of the new head coach’s reign, Amad was a surprise absentee, bumped to the bench as Diogo Dalot moved to the right and Tyrell Malacia came in on the left.
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Amorim had sung Amad's praises after the 4-0 win against Everton, and that made it two goals and five assists in his last five appearances for the club, but there was also a warning about his physical condition
"He was really good again," said Amorim. "He’s in a great moment but that moment started with Ruud [van Nistelrooy], so I just take advantage of his work with Amad. He was really good defending and really good attacking.
"So he needs to continue to play like that. You could feel it at the end of the game he was really, really tired, so we need to manage that to increase physical ability."
Amorim has since said that a number of his United players have a time limit at the moment, and his rotation, which has seen six changes for three successive games and 21 different starters in four matches, is conditioned as much by fitness as by form. There was no other reason to axe Amad.
He did get another 45 minutes under his belt at the Emirates, although it was unclear whether his swap with Malacia at the break had been pre-planned or came because of the booking the left wing-back collected early in the half. When that change was made, Amad went to the right and Dalot to the left.
United had been non-existent as an attacking threat in the first half and barely improved after the brea, but, again, their best moments came through Amad, who showed he had the beating of Oleksandr Zinchenko. He won the free-kick, which saw Matthijs de Ligt force David Raya into an excellent save.
Amad is one of those rare dribblers who looks faster with the ball than without it. His ability to keep control and regularly pick the right option is also underrated. United’s attack regressed against Arsenal but it’s clear the former Atalanta winger has to play a key part in it.
Amorim has rotated his strikers in every match, and the two No. 10s are regularly swapping as well, with Bruno Fernandes, Mason Mount, Alejandro Garnacho, Rashford, and Zirkzee all getting chances there.
The head coach has also hinted that Amad’s future might lie in that position and he plans to move Dalot to his natural flank at some point. That could be the signal for Amad to move further up the pitch.
But right now, whether he plays right wing-back or No. 10, he must be in the team. Amorim is building up the fitness of his squad, having clearly not been impressed by their physical condition on his arrival, but as he rotates and tinkers, Amad is making a strong case to suggest he should be immune from such decisions. He is too important.