“This is the reason Erik ten Hag was sacked and now Amorim is making the same mistake…He must not bench that player if he really want to succeed”: Pep Guardiola says Ruben Amorim is risking his job by benching that player, they could have won that match
Ruben Amorim ‘verbally exploded’ at Manchester United winger Amad Diallo during their 2-0 loss to Arsenal, Mirror journalist Ryan Taylor has revealed.
The Portuguese manager, who suffered his first loss with United on Wednesday, was reportedly frustrated with some of his players’ efforts at the Emirates as the Red Devils struggled to break through Arsenal’s defence.
Amad’s performance was a particular point of concern for Amorim, who introduced the Ivorian at half-time but was visibly frustrated with the 23-year-old’s efforts in the second half.
According to Taylor, Amorim was seen ‘shouting venomously’ at Amad when he struggled to keep up with United’s counterattack, even leaning towards the player to ‘bellow his instructions’:
“After introducing Amad as a makeshift wing-back at the half-time interval, Amorim verbally exploded on the touchline when the Ivorian failed to satisfy his demands.
“Amad had been helping United defend an Arsenal attack when the visitors quickly progressed the ball in transition in a bid to manufacture a chance of their own up the other end.
“However, the red-hot winger, who is being shoehorned in on the right side of Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system, was unable to keep the pace with United’s counter.
“As he lagged behind play on the near touchline, Amorim began shouting venomously towards his player, thrusting and waving his arms towards Arsenal’s box.
“Amorim was so passionate and animated, he even leaned towards Amad, who was only a few metres from his clutches, to bellow his instructions.”
Amad was surprisingly dropped to the bench for United’s trip to the Emirates, despite assisting twice in their 4-0 win over Everton on Sunday, and came on for Tyrell Malacia at half-time.
The £37m Ivorian winger has been a regular in Amorim’s squad since the 39-year-old’s arrival at Old Trafford, featuring in all four games since his appointment.
Wednesday’s defeat to Arsenal saw United drop back into the bottom half of the Premier League table as Amorim suffered his first loss in charge of the Red Devils.
United could not contain Arsenal from set-pieces, conceding two from corners in the second half, with defenders Jurrien Timber and William Saliba scoring for the hosts.
However, there was a positive for Amorim, as he was able to give £52m defender Leny Yoro his competitive United debut, as he replaced Harry Maguire for the final half-hour.
