Manchester United supporters are shocked after Ruben Amorim appeared to criticize the club’s academy. The United manager has previously come under scrutiny for not giving enough opportunities to the club’s academy talent during a tumultuous period at Old Trafford.
Tyler Fredrickson, Harry Amath and Chido Obi will all be given their debuts by the 40-year-old, who won the Academy Players Championship with his former club. However, Amorim hinted that two of the three, as well as Toby Collier, who was given his debut by Erik ten Hag, were perhaps given first-team chances prematurely.
Obi was a first-team regular last season but has mainly trained with United’s Under-21s this season. Harry Amas, meanwhile, has featured regularly since being loaned to Sheffield Wednesday.
Collier sustained the injury while on loan at West Bromwich Albion and is currently back at United undergoing rehabilitation. He appeared in four games for the Championship side.
Amorim began to question the club’s approach to youth development, referring to the future of Koby Mainu, United’s standout academy product in recent seasons. “He (Collier) played (for United). He came from the academy. He played here,” the Red Devils manager said.
“He went to West Bromwich, he didn’t play, he played for Manchester United, so sometimes it’s not because he’s from the academy or something.
“It’s the situation. What happened. We don’t know what the future holds (for Mainu). We’ll see after this game. Amath are currently struggling in the Championship. Chido is not always a starter in the under-21 team. They all played at a time when many were calling for the manager to be sacked!”
Amorim’s comments are likely to be more about Wednesday’s difficulties than a criticism of Amas’ performance. The Championship club have been so impressed with the full-back that they are keen to extend his loan until the end of the season.
Following Amorim’s comments, United supporters expressed their anger at X. “What is Amorim trying to accomplish with these quotes about Mainu and the Academy? Honestly, it’s just self-destruction at this point,” one said.
He added: “Sacking academy players to protect his stubbornness is a new low for Amorim.”
A third supporter wrote: “Ruben Amorim throwing academy players under the bus, knowing full well that the foundation of the club’s history is built on the academy, must surely be the final straw for (Jason) Wilcox and INEOS. He is not the right man for the job. We must act before we lose any more young talent.”
United fans are growing worried that Ruben Amorim’s appointment as manager threatens the club’s unparalleled 88-year record of including an academy product in every game for more than 4,300 games, amid concerns over youth contributions. The tradition continued in November when midfielder Jack Fletcher was included in the squad for the away game against Tottenham.
But Amorim is working to reassure supporters, telling TNT Sports: “This is really important” and “we’re in an era where if you cut corners to get instant success, you’re making a mistake.”
“There’s something special about our club that has to be bulletproof. The way we behave, the way we feel about the club. We’re not going to stop at academy players. Results don’t matter.”
“We will continue with those little details that are the foundation of the club. We have that record, but we will not break that record. And Jack is ready to help us. We will show that our academy is our future. The players in our academy must be ready to help us.”
