It feels like an era ago, but November 24 marks one year of Ruben Amorim at Manchester United, and amid a lot of scrutiny, there is one decision of his that has aged as a masterstroke.
Ruben Amorim started at Manchester United with a 1-1 draw away at Ipswich, a game where Marcus Rashford scored and Jonny Evans started.
That XI looks like a different world now, but he made an experiment in his very first game that came out of nowhere.
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One year later, it has aged as a masterstroke, and the player deserves as much credit for it as the Man Utd manager who had the bravery to put him there.
Ruben Amorim, Head Coach of Manchester United, embraces Amad Diallo of Manchester United following 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’s brave call with Amad
Managers having their first game at a new club generally like to keep things simple for the players and let them do what they do best.
That wasn’t the case with Amorim, however, as he introduced his trademark three-at-the-back formation right away, with two wing-backs.
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Diogo Dalot started on the left, but Amad started as the right wing-back in a move that raised plenty of eyebrows on the day.
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Amad was a fringe player under Erik ten Hag before shining as an attacker in Ruud van Nistelrooy’s brief period as an interim.
Amorim put him in arguably the most demanding position in his formation for the first game, that too, away from home.
Amad assisted Rashford that day within the first five minutes to vindicate Amorim, but once the euphoria wore off and Amorim buckled down, he was back playing as the right attacking midfielder.
However, this season, that experiment continued from where it left off that day, and has aged as a masterstroke.
Amad has become Man Utd’s first-choice right wing-back
Amad was United’s saviour at many points last season from an advanced position, but once Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo signed, his future was always going to be where he began under Amorim.
To Amad’s credit, he has taken it in stride and forged a partnership with Mbeumo that is giving opposition defences nightmares.
Despite his occasional defensive deficiency, his attacking output and combinations with Mbeumo make him United’s undisputed first-choice right wing-back.
In the process, he has vindicated what Amorim saw in him after less than a week of training sessions, which paints the manager in a good light as well.
The right wing once used to be the bane of Man Utd fans‘ existence. Today, courtesy of Amorim’s surprise call on his managerial debut at Man Utd, it’s their key attacking area.
Amad deserves immense credit for playing his part in that call aging as a masterstroke.