Ruben Amorim has admitted that he had no other choice but to send Marcus Rashford packing – after attempts to get the forward’s training habits up to scratch proved futile.
The Manchester United attacker has been loaned out to Aston Villa for the remainder of the season, with Amorim conceding that parting ways was necessary for the collective benefit.
“What I say is I couldn’t get Marcus to see the way you’re supposed to play football and to train the way I see it,” Amorim declared.
He added: “Sometimes you have one player who is really good with one coach and the same player with another coach is different.”
He also expressed his good wishes towards Rashford and Unai Emery at Villa, adding: “Thankfully, Marcus is in Birmingham now with Unai, so you can take these questions to another coach. We’re just focused on our players.
“Some of the guys don’t adapt to the way I see football, the other guys adapt, and we’re trying to build the team. It’s something you feel, as a coach and a player. It’s quite normal, it happened with a lot of coaches. The important thing is that I’m here, saying it was my decision.”
In an intriguing twist, Amorim will encounter a United legend on the sidelines at Old Trafford tonight. Leicester City’s boss Ruud van Nistelrooy once dazzled with 150 goals during a five-year tenure at Old Trafford, milestones that current Red Devils boss Amorim probably wishes he had within his squad.
Instead, Amorim is working with a youthful attacking line including Rasmus Hojlund, Joshua Zirkzee, Alejandro Garnacho, and Amad Diallo, who’ve collectively netted a mere 14 times in the Premier League this term.
The sale of Rashford seemed mutually beneficial at the time; however, with no fresh prolific scorer onboard, United sorely lacks the firepower of a Van Nistelrooy in his heyday.
Van Nistelrooy took temporary helm for four matches before Amorim’s arrival on November 11, concluding his stint with three victories and one draw.
Despite his commendable track record and popularity among the United faithful, Amorim opted not to retain Van Nistelrooy, instead bringing over his trusted crew from Sporting Lisbon.
“It was not a difficult situation, because it was so clear for me,” Amorim explained. “I just had to explain and he understood, he’s a football man.
“I could have kept Ruud because it was a good thing for me, a popular thing to do. But I would not put Ruud in front of my guys, no matter what. So then I would have had to put a person like Ruud at the end of the hierarchy on my staff, and I think that was not fair on Ruud.
“To show respect to Ruud, I was really clear with him, I explained I have my team and I will continue in the same way. So was the clear decision, really simple to explain and he took it like the class guy as he is.”
Content Source: www.express.co.uk