Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has sparked fresh controversy after appearing to fire pointed remarks at three academy graduates.
The Portuguese coach was quizzed extensively about Kobbie Mainoo’s lack of minutes, with the highly-rated midfielder still waiting for his first Premier League start of the campaign.
In response, Amorim chose to reference other academy products who have featured for United in recent months but have since struggled to cement themselves at the senior level.
He said (via ManUtd.com): “Toby [Collyer] and this injury is returning here. He played, he’s from the Academy, he played here, went to West Bromwich, he’s not playing. He played for Manchester United.
“[Harry] Amass is now struggling in the Championship. Chido is not always a starter with the Under-21s.
“All these guys played when a lot of people were saying sack the manager! So you can see that I’m not worried in that time about everybody. I’m just looking at the team and trying to win the next game and trying to think about the team.
“I will do that until the end.”
Unnecessary and illogical comments
Amorim made a very poor attempt to prove that the academy stars are not ready for a step up to the senior team.
His comments made little sense and showed how unaware he was about the young gems.
The potential of academy starlets can often be exaggerated, but publicly singling them out in this manner feels both unnecessary and unfair.
Harry Amass, for instance, is enjoying an impressive loan spell at Sheffield Wednesday.
The teenager has started all 15 games this campaign in the Championship since his loan transfer in the summer.
He also won the club’s November Player of the Month award after bagging one goal and one assist.
Chido Obi’s inconsistent starts are largely a consequence of congested Under-21s schedules and squad rotation across multiple competitions.
He last featured in November and has been out due to injury, as revealed recently.
Toby Collyer has endured rotten luck, with a string of injuries severely disrupting his rhythm at West Bromwich Albion.
The last thing a young player battling fitness setbacks needs is to be subtly undermined by his own manager.
Amorim’s comments raise uncomfortable questions, and it will be fascinating to see whether he is pressed to clarify these baffling remarks in his next press conference.
Stats from Fotmob.com