Why Amad Diallo is on the bench for Manchester United vs Liverpool

Amad Diallo starts on the bench for Manchester United in their Premier League clash against Liverpool on Sunday afternoon.

Erik ten Hag’s side have had a mixed start to the season, starting with a 1-0 victory over Fulham but suffering a narrow 2-1 defeat to Brighton last weekend.

Despite these mixed results, United have shown some promising moments, and many hope that things will click this weekend.

Meanwhile, Liverpool, now led by new manager Arne Slot, have opened the campaign with consecutive 2-0 wins against Ipswich Town and Brentford.

Slot will aim to build on this positive start and make a strong statement at Old Trafford.

Ahead of the match, Ten Hag made three changes to his United lineup, bringing in Matthijs de Ligt, Joshua Zirkzee, and Alejandro Garnacho in place of Harry Maguire, Mason Mount, and Amad Diallo.

Mount’s recent injury made Zirkzee’s inclusion no surprise, but some are shocked to see Amad Diallo out of the team after a strong start to the season.

The Ivorian won the club’s Player of the Month award for August, but the United boss opted for Garnacho and Marcus Rashford to be on the flanks in this game.

Speaking to the media ahead of the clash, Ten Hag explained that the 22-year-old deserved to start, suggesting that it was a tactical decision, and added that Amad will still be needed to impact the game.

“Harry [Maguire] and Amad also deserve to start, but there are players who start and others who finish the game. And I’m sure on a certain point in this game we need Harry, we need Amad to win the game,” said Ten Hag.

Garnacho had positive impacts from the bench in recent weeks, and Amad will be hoping to do the same against Liverpool.

Asked about De Ligt ahead of his first start for the club, Ten Hag added: “He’s fit, especially a fit guy, so he’s really excited, and he wants to play really ambitious, so yeah, we put him in.”

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