Ruben Amorim, manager of Manchester United
Ruben Amorim, manager of Manchester United
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim was pictured watching the under-21s beat Southampton 5-1 at Carrington in their Premier League 2 clash on Saturday afternoon.
A little over 24 hours before his side take on bitter rivals Manchester City at the Etihad stadium, the Portuguese coach looked on as the likes of Tyler Fletcher, Dan Gore and Ethan Wheatley found the back of the net against the Saints. Amorim was joined by Darren Fletcher, and later by both Jason Wilcox and Nick Cox on the sidelines.
While primary focus is on beating Pep Guardiola's side on Sunday, it's testament to the 39-year-old's desire to develop youth that he carved out the time to watch the young Reds secure a big win. The presence of so many first team staff members on the touchline will have given the youngsters a significant boost as they look to force their way into Amorim's plans.
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The likes of Louis Jackson, Jaydan Kamason, Sam Murray, Finaley McAllister and Malachi Sharpe, who featured against Southampton on Saturday, have already had an opportunity to impress Amorim. The youngsters were involved in some of the coach's first training sessions as United boss during the last international break alongside senior figures such as Mason Mount, Kobbie Mainoo, Casemiro, Amad, Antony and Marcus Rashford.
Amorim's track record of developing youth was heavily noted following his arrival at Old Trafford, as he gave more than 20 young players their debuts during his time at Sporting CP. He will be tasked with continuing this at United as the Manchester club boasts one of the best academies in English football.
But first, priority lies with moving up the Premier League table, and Amorim's side have a huge opportunity to do so with a win over their bitter rivals on Sunday. City have won just one of their last 10 games across all competitions as Guardiola's side are suffering their worst spell of his tenure.
United emerged victorious over City in the FA Cup final at the end of last season, so will be hopeful of a similar result at the Etihad this weekend. Last time out, Amorim's side secured a narrow 2-1 victory over Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League, with Rasmus Hojlund the scorer of both goals.
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