Ruben Amorim, the hotly-tipped new manager of Manchester United, expressed similar misgivings just the other day. He noticed a “culture of entitlement” developing in the locker room. Days before that match, in his pre-match news conference, he emphasized how important it was to challenge this kind of mindset. Beyond wins and losses, he wants to foster a more accountable environment with the players. The mystery surrounding Ethan Mainoo’s future deepens by the hour. The 20-year-old academy product, however, is yet to see his first Premier League start this season.
Amorim’s comments were provoked by recent social media activity from two of United’s academy stars, both 18 years old. The brash young players posted Instagram stories that were seen as inflammatory and then erased them a few minutes later. Another one praised an eventual goal scored by Ethan Nwaneri’s U21 side teammate Myles Lewis-Skelly during a 4-0 barnstorming win over Manchester City. The second showed a beaming Amass with his Sheffield Wednesday Player of the Month award for November.
Throughout the press conference, Amorim was clear on his openness to dialogue. He’s focused on encouraging players to feel secure addressing whatever they’re worried about. He said, “Nobody wants to come speak with me,” which shows a clear disconnect and lack of communication from the entire squad. He found that nothing beats one-on-one, face-to-face discussions. He added, “Sometimes powerful words are not powerful things. Sometimes uncomfortable times are not bad things for the children.”
Amorim shared his thoughts on the high level of responsibility that he must have while playing for Manchester United. He commented, “The players have the tendency to lose sight of what it means to play for Manchester United. We as a club can lose our way and lose sight of who we are.” He emphasized that particularly as the team goes through difficult times, it is more important than ever that the team knows where they came from and who they are.
The new manager’s emphasis on cultural change comes just as worries about player availability are coming to a head. Casemiro is suspended after picking up a yellow card in the fiery 4-4 stalemate with Bournemouth. At the same time, defenders Matthijs de Ligt and Harry Maguire are out due to injury. Several players, including Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo, are currently on international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Amorim sought to calm the fears of Mainoo’s age and inexperience on such a big stage. As McDaniels said, “He’s going to play if we feel that he is the right guy. That is not a problem. The manager loves developing talent. He teaches the character-building qualities necessary to thrive at one of football’s most prestigious institutions.
