Manchester United winger Amad has been one of the shining lights in recent weeks but he was dropped to the bench against Arsenal
Ask Manchester United fans which player has impressed them most since Erik ten Hag was sacked and it would be surprising if the majority did not say Amad.
The Ivorian had been on the verge of being cast adrift, particularly with his contract expiring at the end of the season. However, under both Ruud van Nistelrooy and now Ruben Amorim, Amad has been pushed to the forefront and has impressed with the added pressure on his shoulders.
Against Everton, the 22-year-old bagged two assists and was instrumental to in another which seemed to guarantee him a start at Arsenal in midweek. And yet, there was plenty of surprise to see Tyrell Malacia start on the left with Amad dropped to the bench.
It was certainly an eyebrow-raiser not just because of Amad's form but also because of Malacia's lack of game time in the last two seasons. However, Amorim explained in his first interview why he made this decision.
"We should start with full-backs [as wing-backs] because to teach a winger how to defend is harder," the Portuguese told Sky Sports prior to Ipswich Town. Amorim is a realist and he knew that Arsenal would likely have most of the ball and be more aggressive than any opponent so far.
Therefore, to avoid being blown away on the flanks, playing Malacia - a natural full-back - at left wing-back made the most sense. It may have been controversial but it only took the first-half for him to be justified. Arsenal were nullified going forward with United compact and able to frustrate the opposition.
Yes, this meant United had to compromise going forward but one of the biggest criticisms of Ten Hag was that he made the Reds too open against teams. Bringing Amad on at half-time showed that Amorim wanted to add more of an attacking threat but starting conservatively allowed his team to try and push forward after the break without the game being out of sight.
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