Ruben Amorim appeared before Manchester United visit in the Nottingham forest, which looks refreshed and invigorated by a two -week rest during the international break. A day later and he wore this familiar and worn expression of a man who realizes how much he should go to this work.
The optimism of the consecutive victories on Real Sociedad and Leicester City before the break had passed out during a 13th defeat of the season of the season at City Ground on Tuesday evening.
The green recovery shoots that had emerged in early spring had been trampled under the galloping feet of Anthony Elaga as he rushed to score the only goal of the match against his former club, and a spectacular to that.
The fact that United was the strongest of the two teams seemed to have little importance for Amorim when he digested the last reverse.
Perhaps the most revealing moment of his analysis after the match came when asked if the solo effort of Elaga had highlighted United’s madness, letting their former young player of the year leave the club in the summer of 2023.
“We are talking about many players who come from Manchester United and they are doing well, but they were lucky here,” he replied. “Here, the pressure is sometimes too large. In Manchester United, you don’t have time. I will not have time. We have to do things quickly.
Ruben Amorim rejected the claims according to which Manchester United should not have sold Anthony Elaga after his winner for Nottingham Forest
The former young United has wrapped his strike in the corner of the net after only five minutes
The optimism of consecutive victories on Real Sociedad and Leicester City before the break exhausted in a 13th League defeat of the season
“Sometimes you don’t have time and you should have time for these children to develop. But for that, you need a solid base to support all these children. If you don’t have this strong base, we are not going to help our children.
“So they had their chances and sometimes football is like that, the pressure to play Manchester United is really tall.”
Amorim was talking about Elaga, but he could also have referred to his own players, not just children either. Too often, we have heard of the weight of the shirt to United being larger than other clubs, and this certainly seems to be the case with many of these united players.
Jesse Lingard said it when he spoke to his childhood club Mail Sport last month, saying: “The expectation of being in a big club like Man United, no one really knows. This pressure of putting the shirt. This is to know if you can face it or not.
Amorim played 110 million pounds sterling of attackers at Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund against Forest, but it was only after throwing Harry Maguire as a central emergency center towards the end that United has wore a real threat in the middle. Alejandro Garnacho could have played overnight and not having shot on the target.
Hojlund came for Manuel Ugarte, a purchase of 50 million pounds sterling from Paris Saint-Germain and an Uruguaye international which was removed at halftime. The new £ 27 million pounds Sterling Patrick Dorgu has had his most difficult match to date, especially when he has failed to protect himself against the stripping of Elaga from one united corner to the other end of the field in the fifth minute. Doussair Mazraoui was like a rabbit taken in the headlights while the Swedish winger approached to the frantic pace.
What happens to these players when they sign for United? And what happens to them when they leave? Elaga is in no way the only one to prosper far from Old Trafford. Antony came to life on loan to Real Betis and Marcus Rashford is a new man at Aston Villa, quickly finding his place in England. Scott MCTOMINAY is a key player in the Napoli title offer in Italy. Even Anthony Martial managed to regain his physical form and a little shape with Aek in Greece.
It was as if they discovered freedom and a love for the game that is lost within the stifling limits of Old Trafford and the stifling control that goes with a Manchester United player.
Joshua Zirkzee (photo) and Rasmus Hojlund failed to impress while United was carrying little threat in attack
Brazilian winger Antony is the last player to rediscover his form after having moved out of Old Trafford
Elanga prospered under the direction of the Patrifham Nuno Espirito Santo forest boss
It was not bad to unload Elaga and Amorim is probably right when he says that the Swedish is only one of the many young players who packed the vineyard in United.
A record of four goals and four assists in 55 appearances for the club was hardly a convincing argument to keep it when the stable of the wingers of his last season included Cristiano Ronaldo, Antony, Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Garnacho and Facundo Pellistri. In these circumstances, persuading the forest to pay 15 million pounds sterling plus 5 million pounds sterling in the additional modules was not a bad business.
Winning the youth of the prize in a club with the proud story of United should be a source of immense pride, but it is not a guarantee of success. The current holder, Ethan Wheatley, is ready for Walsall.
The problem is not with the players in moving, but those they bring. All metrics and reports in the world cannot predict how someone will react when he pulls on this red shirt. Many have tried and far too little have been worthy in recent years.
No wonder MORIM looks so shot Tuesday evening. The reality was dead again and Manchester City is as follows.
