Ruben Amorim has had to make quite a lot of big decisions in his short time at Manchester United, and not every call will work out, but the biggest one has.
It is an open secret that Ruben Amorim didn’t want to come to Man Utd mid-season, but by the end of the season, he was singing a different tune.
He felt that the knowledge he’d gained about the players would help him make better squad-building decisions in the summer transfer window.
Nowhere is that claim truer than the one he’s been vindicated for nearly six months after making it, arguably his biggest one at Old Trafford so far.
Ruben Amorim, Head Coach of Manchester United, interacts with Alejandro Garnacho of Manchester United as team mates Marcus Rashford and Diogo Dalot look on during the Premier League match between Ipswich Town FC and Manchester United FC at Portman Road on November 24, 2024
Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images
Ruben Amorim proven right over December decision
In December, Amorim had been in the job for only a month, when any new manager tries not to completely rock the boat and invite headlines.
That can be even truer for Man Utd, one of the most scrutinised clubs in world football, but Amorim took short-term pain for long-term gain.
In the biggest game of his tenure at the time, the Manchester derby, Amorim dropped the two players with the biggest profile at the club.
Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford were dropped from the squad altogether as Amorim stamped his authority on the team, demanding high standards.
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Since that decision, Rashford went on a silent scorched earth campaign and left the club, while it looked like Garnacho had turned it around and won over the Man Utd manager.
As it turns out, it was only a marriage of convenience, a bomb waiting to go off again at the slightest hint of discontent.
Now that it has happened, Amorim has been proven 100% right over that decision, a hit rate that was at 50% because Man Utd fans were almost certain that Garnacho had proven him wrong.
Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford need to leave
If it wasn’t clear after the Europa League final, and in Rashford’s case, since December, it’s now clearer than ever that no dressing room reset is possible without Garnacho and Rashford leaving.
At a time when exit speculation over Garnacho’s future is rife, the Argentinian was pictured in Rashford’s shirt, only the shirt was from his Villa days.
Rashford added to the flames by commenting on the picture, and as innocuous as it sounds in writing, it would be naive to think that Garnacho didn’t know what he was doing.
It’s effectively an open challenge to the club to sell him, amid reports that he’s intent on staying in the Premier League while United want to sell to the highest bidder.
It is this kind of passive-aggressive, unprofessional behaviour that needs stamping out of the club, and speaks volumes about Garnacho that he’s effectively proving Amorim right by doing stuff like this.
If United are to truly move forward, they need to get rid of this pair who are only too happy to stir the pot and make themselves the “main character” instead of putting their head down and working for the team.