Manchester United ended their season straight from nightmares with some respite, winning against Aston Villa in a game that surprised fans in attendance.
The 2-0 win vs Aston Villa was unlike any other Man Utd performance in the Premier League for a long time.
Ruben Amorim’s men dominated possession and territory, creating chances for fun before taking two of those in a stark departure from the usually timid display.
Alejandro Garnacho was left out of the squad altogether after being told to find a new club but Amorim saw against Villa how he could save the Argentine’s career. He refused to do it.
Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images
Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images
Ruben Amorim had Alejandro Garnacho blueprint all along
Despite making nearly 60 appearances in all competitions, it always felt like there was a marriage of uneasiness between Amorim and Garnacho.
Things reached a boiling point after the UEL Final when Garnacho called out Amorim for his reduced role. There was never going to be a way back from that.
What Garnacho did after the Villa game also effectively confirmed that he’s played his last minutes on the Old Trafford pitch.
It didn’t have to end this way, and against Villa, it was clear again.
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Amorim fielded Amad in one of the two No. 10 spots in the first half, a position Garnacho had been shoehorned in from the beginning.
However, in the second half, as Diogo Dalot needed protection, Amad was shifted to wing-back, where he once again shone as shown by his stats via Sofascore.
Amad stats vs Aston Villa, May 25, 2025
Amad stats vs Aston Villa, May 25, 2025
Amorim’s ideal team will have wingers playing as wing-backs, a position where they find themselves in more space to run in behind and with the ball.
It is confusing why Garnacho wasn’t tried as a wing-back in at least a few games Amorim managed this season, especially as the Man Utd manager was becoming increasingly complimentary of his work rate of late.
Like Amad, Garnacho at wing-back wasn’t only something that could have saved the player’s career, but United also look better with wingers playing at wing-back too.
Amorim never really trusted Garnacho
There is a stark contrast between how Amad was installed as a wing-back in the very first game under Amorim, to how Garnacho never got a shot at playing that position.
Even when Garnacho looked to have sorted himself out professionally, he was never trusted to play the most important position in Amorim’s system.
It speaks to a clear lack of trust by the manager in the player even when the player was at his peak form, a damning indictment of their relationship.
It is for the best that Garnacho leaves because even if he’s successful elsewhere, there’s no chance of it happening under Amorim at Old Trafford.
Amad’s goal against Villa proved it. Amorim had the blueprint to save Garnacho’s career all along. He just didn’t trust him enough to implement it.