As the new head coach of Manchester United, days don’t get much better than this.
When you drop two of the most high-profile members of your squad, Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho – not just from the team, but the entire travelling party – Ruben Amorim would have known scrutiny would come.
Two minutes from time at Manchester City, it seemed Amorim was in for an awkward post-match debrief.
But one of the players who has responded best to his arrival turned Amorim and United’s evening on its head.
Amad Diallo won the penalty that allowed Bruno Fernandes to equalise. Then the Ivory Coast forward, transitioned into an advanced position from the wing-back slot he was initially given by his new boss, tucked in a brilliant winner less than two minutes later.
“I think so,” said Amorim, when asked if he felt United deserved their first win at Etihad Stadium since 2021.
“We did a great job. We believed a lot. It was different to [the defeat at] Arsenal. There I didn’t feel the belief. I did today.
“Amad is in a good moment. Erik [ten Hag] brought him to the first team. Ruud [van Nistelrooy] did a great job. Now don’t make the same mistakes we made in the past.”
Amorim didn’t explain what the previous mistakes were, whether they related to Amad or his team as a whole. There wasn’t really time.
In an eight-minute discussion with the media, the biggest talk centred around two players who were not even in the stadium.
‘Next week, next game, new life’
As United celebrated their winner, Rashford posted a picture on social media. “Yesssssssss! Love it lads,” was the caption, with two heart emojis for emphasis. Garnacho stayed silent.
Both had trained at Carrington on Sunday morning but neither had been selected for the City game.
Manchester was not short of rumour around the reason for their respective omissions.
Yet, when he came to explain, Amorim repeatedly stressed it was not a disciplinary issue.
The more you delved into his words, it was hard to escape the conclusion it boiled down to a lack of discipline, or at least slipped standards.
Amorim even used the recent round of redundancies among staff members to drive home the point that if his demands are not met, there will be consequences.
“Next week, next game, new life,” he said.
“For me it’s important; the performance in training, the performance in games, the way you dress, the way you eat, the way you engage with your team-mates, the way you push your team-mates.
“Everything is important. In our context, in the beginning of something, when we want to change a lot of things, when people in our clubs are losing their jobs, we have to make the standards really high.
“Today the team proved we can leave anyone out of the squad and manage to win if you play together.”
Amorim used the example of Jonny Evans to highlight that, with more of his squad fit, there will not always be a place for everyone, as the veteran defender found to his cost today.
Yet there is clearly a significant difference between Evans, at 36 enjoying an Indian summer in his career back at the club where it all started, and both Rashford and Garnacho.
Rashford is one of United’s highest earners. Garnacho one of its brightest young stars. Significantly, they both also prefer to play in the wide attacking role that does not exist in Amorim’s new-look team.
But where Amad has adapted quickly and flourished, evidently, Rashford and Garnacho have not.
“It’s a big talking point because he’s obviously seen things he doesn’t like,” former United skipper Roy Keane told Sky Sports. “But for us it’s not a big surprise because both players have been poor and he has said enough is enough.
“He is putting a marker down. Let’s see how they react to it. We have talked about attitude for the last couple of years. A new manager will be picking up on all this.”
The problem for Rashford in particular is that there have been issues in the past.
He was dropped by Ten Hag for a match at Wolves after missing the start of a team meeting and in January was axed by Ten Hag in response to finding out Rashford had stayed longer than scheduled on a planned trip to Belfast, consequently turning up late for training.
At 27, Rashford should be in the prime of his career but there is feeling of drift it appears Amorim is willing to confront head on.
More disappointment for ‘humble’ Mount
Rashford’s absence from the starting line-up had been flagged on Saturday when what turned out to be an accurate report of the United XI found its way on to social media.
Leaking of team information would have led to an internal investigation in Sir Alex Ferguson’s time, and there would have been consequences if the miscreant had been identified.
Amorim is taking a more relaxed approach.
“It is not a good thing but I think it is impossible to fix,” said Amorim. “You have a lot of people in the club and the players talk with the agents.”
And, in addition to Rashford and Garnacho, there was another member of the United camp who probably found victory tinged with massive disappointment.
Amorim has already identified England midfielder Mason Mount as a potentially key member of his squad.
Yet Mount, beset by so many injuries since his £55m move from Chelsea 18 months ago that he was starting only his eighth Premier League game for United at City, lasted only 14 minutes before he “felt something” when he stretched to control the ball.
