The changing of the head coach always leaves some players as big winners and others as losers, and for one Man Utd player, the contrast from days under Erik ten Hag to Ruben Amorim couldn’t be clearer.
Someone like Alejandro Garnacho or Marcus Rashford would know how the fortunes at the club can change with the new manager.
At the other end of the spectrum, a player like Manuel Ugarte was liberated after Erik ten Hag’s sacking and Ruben Amorim’s arrival.
However, a debutant under Ten Hag who looked set to become a Man Utd mainstay has since fallen back in the queue for a breakthrough since Ruben Amorim arrived.
Erik ten Hag, Manager of Manchester United, gives instructions to Ethan Wheatley of Manchester United before being substituted on for his first team debut
Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images
Challenging times for Ethan Wheatley at Man Utd
It was all going so well for Ethan Wheatley. He had become Man Utd’s 250th academy debutant under Erik ten Hag and was scoring for fun in the academy.
With three Premier League appearances in 2023/24 and a confirmed place in the pre-season squad for the summer, Wheatley was set to become Ten Hag’s next success story from the academy.
However, everything changed in November.
Ten Hag was sacked, replaced by Ruben Amorim, who had too many problems to contend with at the start and wasn’t going to throw any academy players in the line of fire.
Wheatley was first in the international camp, then went on loan to Walsall in January, which is where the problems began.
More United News
In six months with the League Two side, Wheatley played 168 minutes of league football over four appearances, while failing to open his scoring account.
Combine that with the signing and immediate breakthrough of Chido Obi, and Wheatley’s “destined for breakout” scenario is not as realistic anymore.
Wheatley on his prospects at Man Utd and Walsall loan
The 19-year-old striker is not losing hope, however. Now that he’s back with the club and scoring for the U21s again, he is determined to make an impact.
The pre-season could be a crucial time for him, especially since United have a gaping hole at the striker position, and Obi’s readiness, despite his vast potential, is under the scanner.
Wheatley spoke to PA news agency while away with England U19s for the U19 Euros, where he scored recently in a 5-5 draw, and painted a hopeful picture of his prospects at Man Utd.
He said (via The Independent): “The club have been good with me. They’ve let me come back and play a few 21s games just to keep my legs going, so it’s been good to be back at United, developing and getting game time.
“Since (Amorim) came in I was away with international camp and obviously went on loan in January, so I’ve not really been around it too much.
“But I want to be a Man United player in the future, but if that doesn’t happen then it obviously wasn’t meant to be. We’ll just see what happens in the future.”
He accepted that his Walsall loan didn’t go well, but he’s determined to bounce back and not let it define him as a player.
He said: “My second half of season has been frustrating, not being able to show what I’m about, really. Even if my first (loan) didn’t go well – and it didn’t – I had it in the back of my head, and I was telling staff around the club, it’s not going to define me as a player.
“It’s not going to judge where I end up in the future. I think it’s just like a little blip in my early career, and hopefully I can just bounce back from it going into next season.”
Amorim has proven that he doesn’t consider age or history as a barrier to entry if he’s impressed by the professionalism and effort of the player, so Wheatley can’t be written off just yet.
Perhaps United’s striker solution can come out of nowhere from a successful pre-season.