Ruben Amorim put his trust in Alejandro Garnacho to start on the right for Manchester United against Arsenal.
Manchester United had a clear game plan against Arsenal at Old Trafford, with Ruben Amorim setting his team up to counter-attack the Gunners.
After the 1-1 draw with Arsenal, Amorim admitted that this is not his long-term vision for how his United side will play, but with so many injuries and fatigued players, it was a necessary change.
Amorim has stubbornly stuck to his tactics since becoming United head coach, but he showed plenty of flexibility against Arsenal by defending deep and frustrating the Gunners.
Bruno Fernandes starred for United and scored the all-important free-kick in the first half, but the game plan also suited the likes of Alejandro Garnacho, who put in a wonderful display.
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
Alejandro Garnacho responds to Ruben Amorim
During Thursday’s Europa League clash against Real Sociedad, United fans were frustrated with Garnacho despite him providing an assist for Joshua Zirkzee.
As quoted by Manchester Evening News, Amorim defended his decision to take Garnacho off in the second half by suggesting he was “late” to defend due to fatigue.
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“I felt he was tired,” Amorim said. “You see it because we did a lot of transitions in the second half because sometimes he was late to defend.”
Garnacho was spotted sulking on the bench by Paul Scholes after he was taken off, but the 20-year-old’s response against Arsenal was emphatic.
Not only was Garnacho a dangerous threat on the right side of United’s attack, but he also put in the extra effort defensively.
Alejandro Garnacho won 3/3 tackles against Arsenal today, he has never won more tackles in a single Premier League match.
Adding to his game. 🏃♂️ pic.twitter.com/hAtDgBtiNJ
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) March 9, 2025
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Garnacho won 100% of his tackles against Arsenal, setting himself a new record for a single Premier League match.
He also won seven of his 10 ground duels and won three fouls for United. An extremely well-rounded performance.
Ruben Amorim piles praise on Alejandro Garnacho
Amorim has shown Garnacho some tough love since his arrival as United boss, but it is only because he is aware of his extremely high potential.
Unlike Marcus Rashford, Garnacho bounced back from being dropped against Manchester City and worked his way back into Amorim’s plans.
After a much-improved performance against Arsenal, Amorim was full of praise for Garnacho.
“We have some good players for the transition. I think Garnacho made a really complete game.
“He was upset last Thursday and today, he was amazing,” he added.
READ MORE: Man Utd fans have lot to say about Alejandro Garnacho after performance vs Arsenal, ‘his heart’ point is so perfect
Owen Hargreaves also praised Garnacho, describing him as a “one-man wrecking crew” against Arsenal.
Garnacho will hope to build on his strong performance and end his goal drought during the second leg against Real Sociedad on Thursday evening.