Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has proven David Moyes wrong surrounding the use of academy players at the club, with his recent comments and actions proving as much.
Ruben Amorim looks on during a Manchester United match
Ruben Amorim looks on during a Manchester United match
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Manchester United were handed a fresh setback on their return from the international break when they faced off with Everton at Old Trafford. Ruben Amorim's side had seemingly clicked in terms of results, putting together a string of three victories, before two draws to kickstart an unbeaten run.
There was a challenge to keep that up, with the Premier League table wide open for a team to take control and seize the initiative. Unfortunately for United, their chances of doing that took a blow, as they fell to defeat at the hands of their former manager, David Moyes.
That's despite an early red card for Idrissa Gueye, who was sent off for a slap to Michael Keane in the opening stages of the match. However, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall's strike put Everton into the lead, posing a problem that Man United simply had no answer to.
While it was a defeat for United that could cause plenty of concern, there was a sign of a bright future being shown on the bench. In all the chaos of the match unfolding at Old Trafford, there was a place for academy star Shea Lacey on the bench and in the matchday squad for the first time.
The England under-20s international has been tipped for big things and is the latest prospect from the youth ranks who could help to make an impact. That may be especially important in the coming weeks, with AFCON resulting in Bryan Mbeumo and Amad leaving the squad to join up with their nations for the tournament.
The likes of Lacey and Jack Fletcher could be crucial in replacing those who will be gone, showing reliance on the academy to help in those tough times. That's despite Moyes claiming that Man United have moved away from that identity, with a mention for Sir Alex Ferguson, too.
Speaking before the clash, he told the press: "The history of Manchester United was not [one of change]. Manchester United had a great culture. They stuck with their managers; they brought through their own academy boys. They actually had some of the best characteristics of what you would want your club to have: good values.
“Sir Alex had great values at Manchester United and, over the years, those values he established needed some time to come through as well. It was always a club with brilliant values, with an understanding about bringing their young players through and developing them in the right way.”
While some of that can be aimed at Man United in recent years, the same cannot be said of how Amorim's tenure is going at the club. There hasn't been the excessive change previously seen, while it's clear just how important it is for the manager to support the youth players properly.
Ruben Amorim looks on
Ruben Amorim looks on(Image: Getty Images)
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Lacey and Fletcher may be the latest examples, with Amorim putting plenty of praise on the former, as he said before the clash with Everton: "I'm really happy with him. I think he struggled a little bit with injuries, they did a very good job balancing his body, you can sense that he can manage more load during training.
"He has a lot of talent, but when they come here, they can sense the speed is completely different, so they need to spend more time with us to be prepared, because our trainings are hard, at Premier League games, with the pressure it's harder, so they need to be ready."
It's clear that Amorim is conscious of the development it takes with the Man United academy stars to not only give them opportunities, but to have them ease their way into senior football in the right way. That much was made even clearer when he reflected on Chido Obi's situation.
The young striker played seven times in the Premier League last season, but is yet to be named in a matchday squad this season. Amorim reflected on that when he said: "Yeah, of course [Obi can step up], he played last year. I think it was too soon, we didn't have a team. That we can put a young kid with 16, that he will not struggle, or will struggle a little bit, was completely necessary to do that.
"The perfect conditions. We have the opportunity and we seek that opportunity for the kids, so he's one of the guys, but I think he started too soon. And sometimes it's hard to deal with that, with the kids, because they think that I'm already here. No, you are here for necessity and we need to be careful also with that."
While Man United have been accused of moving away from their identity in the past, Amorim is clearly putting a lot of time and thought into how the youngsters can be used. That development plan could be crucial in the short-term to deal with absences, while in the long-term, it could get the club back where they want to be.