Ruben Amorim let down his guard over Koby Manu after Manchester United’s first game against West Ham this season.
United drew 1-1
United drew 1-1 with the relegation-threatened Hammers at Old Trafford in December, with Manu being left on the bench throughout – and Amorim chose Lisandro Martínez as a better late replacement for Luke Shaw as he looked for a winner.
When United’s then-manager questioned him on why he had left the 20-year-old on the bench, he replied, “You always ask me the same thing.”
“I understand what you’re saying. You love Kobe. He starts for England, but that doesn’t mean I need to put Kobe on when I feel like I shouldn’t.”
The “You love Kobe” comment felt personal. The reasoning in Amorim’s mind was that the media was repeatedly asking him why he hardly used Menu.
That assessment missed the point.
It was not that the media liked Menu. It was that he had already seen what positive benefits he could bring to a team.
A large number of fans also noticed that Amorim’s stance on Manu was looking ridiculous with each passing game, seeing 25,000 likes on a social media post on X during Saturday’s 2-0 win over Tottenham.
Fans also failed to understand why the academy-raised midfielder had not started a single Premier League match this season before Amorim’s departure.
Amorim’s initial replacement, Darren Fletcher, had discarded his three-man central defence for the final 16 minutes of last month’s draw at Burnley to allow Manu an extra player in the middle of the field.
The midfielder started the following game against Brighton in the FA Cup and retained his place for all four matches of Michael Carrick’s brief reign.
Against Tottenham, Manu created the opener for Brian Mbeumo with a clever pass on the edge of the penalty area with the inside of his right foot after he had crossed the goal to meet Bruno Fernandes’ short corner.
“Yes, no doubt about it,” Carrick said afterwards, when asked if Manu could get back to the level of his breakthrough season in 2023-24, when he scored in the FA Cup final and started for England after the Euro final defeat to Spain.
Some still don’t get it.
At first glance, seven goals and five assists in 90 first-team appearances don’t seem like much.
But that is not the point. Manu has a very good understanding of the flow of games and is an all-round midfielder.
This applied to Carrick himself two decades ago. This was the reason why Sir Alex Ferguson brought him north from Tottenham.
In a conversation with his brother Graeme for the Football Association before leaving United in 2018, Carrick himself explained the nuances of a “brilliant pass”.
“Sometimes hanging is probably the easiest thing to do,” he said.
“It’s about preparing for it, getting your body position right, understanding the context of the game, and knowing the risk and reward.
“Even if it’s a three-yard pass, you’re giving someone the ball to do something right away. If they have to take one touch and another touch to catch the ball, that’s not a great pass.
“You must decide what the next pass should be, and your passing angle must be correct.
“If the next part is the way you see it in your mind, it’s a great pass.”
