As more stories emerge from Ruben Amorim’s time at Old Trafford, Harry Maguire has now highlighted another issue that might have set the team back.
Even without Michael Carrick’s impressive run that saw wins over two of England’s top sides, there were already clear signs that Amorim was struggling to get the best out of his squad.
Results aside, it was increasingly apparent that Amorim wasn’t maximising the talent available to him. The system he put in place didn’t always suit the players on hand.
Maguire has added more context by explaining how Amorim regularly put extra pressure on his back line with a strategy that was tough to execute.
Harry Maguire shares thoughts on a defender’s most challenging role
Maguire was one of the players who earned Amorim’s trust, which wasn’t surprising given his reputation for professionalism with every manager he’s worked under.
He rarely speaks negatively about coaches, so his recent remarks don’t paint Amorim in a good light.
“That’s one of the hardest things, I think, as a defender of having to come on in the 70th minute when you’re winning 1-0, it’s tough,” Maguire said. “I find it tough now, and I’m experienced, having been in that situation numerous times. So these boys are learning the hard way. That’s why you’ve got to remember that the young lads, there’s going to be mistakes, but there’s also going to be very good games as well.”
The irony is hard to ignore. At Old Trafford, it became almost expected for Amorim to swap out his centre-backs around the 70th minute.
It was no surprise then that United often gave up late goals under him – by all accounts – because as Maguire pointed out, he was giving them one of football’s most difficult tasks week after week.
Ayden Heaven’s rise happened in spite of Ruben Amorim
Maguire didn’t pick Ayden Heaven out of thin air. The young defender was one of the players who found himself suddenly thrown into the deep end, as Maguire described.
Following injuries to both Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt, Heaven was put straight into the starting line-up without much preparation or minutes under his belt.
His first outing against West Ham didn’t go well, with Amorim pulling him at half-time. But to his credit, he managed to bounce back over time.
It says a lot about Heaven’s mental toughness that he was able to recover from that start, especially considering he wasn’t exactly set up for success by Amorim.
The same can be said for others who were brought on around the 70th minute mark, often disrupting the backline and then being criticised for looking unstable.
Maguire pointed out that it’s one of the hardest jobs for a defender – and it’s something that could have been avoided. Yet Amorim kept putting his players in those situations week after week.
