“I think…” – Benni McCarthy reveals why Erik ten Hag snubbed Amad Diallo at Man Utd

Ruben Amorim has been able to get the best out of Amad Diallo after a tough time working under former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag.

Manchester United have had mixed performances since Ruben Amorim took charge, with the new boss assessing his squad.

After nine games, the 39-year-old has learnt a lot about many players within the team – who fits his system, and who does not.

Amad Diallo has probably been the standout performer since the Portuguese boss took charge. He has played in all nine games, starting six of them.

With seven goal contributions in that time, the Ivorian has impressed Amorim in two different positions but looks likely to continue in the no.10 role he has played in recent games.

Why did Ten Hag not use Amad at Man Utd?

Amad’s excellent form begs the question why he was such a peripheral figure under former boss Erik ten Hag.

The 22-year-old was barely used last season even after scoring an incredible 121st-minute winner against Liverpool in the FA Cup. He was only afforded chances in the final few games of the season.

Then, despite winning the club’s August Player of the Month at the beginning of this season, Amad was in and out of the team, completing 90 minutes just once in the campaign until Ten Hag was sacked.

It seemed unusual, with £85 million Antony getting many more opportunities under the Dutch manager despite some dreadful performances.

McCarthy explains why Ten Hag snubbed Amad

Ten Hag’s former first-team coach Benni McCarthy was asked about the situation and the real reason why Amad was overlooked during that time.

McCarthy explained that Ten Hag felt that Antony was the ‘better player’ for his system and that he wanted to invest into the player he signed for big money from his former club Ajax.

“I think tactically when we set up, the manager felt that Antony was the better player for the job that he wanted, because obviously knew Antony from Ajax,” McCarthy told the Podcast and Chill Network.

Read More: Rúben Amorim told he must AXE Manchester United’s underperforming stars after Bournemouth loss

“So he invested in him, and the club supported him, so of course he has to support the player that he bought, your investment.

“So I think that’s why he persisted in playing Antony because he knew the capabilities when Antony is at his best, he knows what Antony can do.”

However, the former United coach also believes the form and price of other attacking players impacted Amad’s playing time under Ten Hag.

“Then you had [Alejandro] Garnacho there, who was also really playing well, scoring goals. And [Marcus] Rashford, on any given day, he could also demolish anyone,” he added.

“Then you’ve spend £70 million on bringing in Højlund, so he has to play and someone’s got to [be left out] and unfortunately for Amad Diallo, tactically the manager goes with the player he thinks is probably more capable for those type of games, tactically, defensively and offensively.”

Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is released every Wednesday at 6 pm (BST) on the United View YouTube channel.