‘An absolute must’: Ferdinand taken aback by Amorim’s decision to bench ‘game-changer’ vs Arsenal

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·18 Agustus 2025

‘An absolute must’: Ferdinand taken aback by Amorim’s decision to bench ‘game-changer’ vs Arsenal

Manchester United fans got their first look at how Ruben Amorim plans to approach the campaign ahead following their season-opener defeat to Arsenal.

While we can expect that Benjamin Sesko will be leading the line from the off this weekend and Andre Onana will replace Altay Bayindir between the sticks, the rest of the personnel were essentially Amorim’s first-choice team.

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As such, supporters were surprised to see that there was no room for Amad Diallo, who’s on the back of his most prolific campaign for the club after notching a hugely impressive 11 goals and 10 assists in 2024/2025.

How Amad fared vs the Gunners

Amad’s next chance to start is on Sunday when the side travel to Craven Cottage. (Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images)

Amad’s lack of game time was one of many reasons Erik ten Hag so frequently came under fire last season, given the Ivorian had just overseen a stellar loan spell with Sunderland.

Yesterday, he was granted a 35-minute cameo to try and turn the tie around, replacing Diogo Dalot in the 55th minute when United were trailing 1-0.

Whilst chasing the game, Amad was able to have an ‘explosive’ impact off the bench; he won 100 per cent of duels (seven), 100 per cent of his tackles (three) and completed 100 per cent of his dribbles (two), as per StatmanDave.

Ferdinand on Amad concerns

Therefore, it comes as no surprise to see that Rio Ferdinand has pleaded with Amorim to grant the 23-year-old the prominent role he deserves.

When reacting to the evening’s affairs at Old Trafford, he said (via Rio Ferdinand Presents): “Amad came on second half and I think he did enough to show that against any team that you feel you’re going to dominate possession, he has to play.

“I think he’ll even be sitting there, Amad, saying, ‘Play me against anybody, because I’ll get our team higher up the pitch and I can beat people.’

“The way that Amorim plays you need people that are going to beat people with the ball or run beyond people and Amad can do both. It’s just, can he do it from a right wing-back position? If Man Utd do get pinned back at any time he’s playing, is he able to defend and cope defensively? They’re the question marks we’ve got.

“But if you set out to dominate the game possession-wise, Amad is an absolute must in this team. Whether it’s right wing-back or right wing, I think he has to play.

“I think over the last season and even in this one game here today, he’s shown that he’s got the confidence and the ability to be a game-changer.”