Why Ruben Amorim dropped Amad for Manchester United vs Arsenal in FA Cup clash

Amad starts on the bench for Manchester United as they travel to face Arsenal in an FA Cup third-round clash on Sunday.

Ruben Amorim’s team are visiting the Emirates Stadium for the second time in a month, following a 2-0 Premier League defeat there earlier in December.

United put up a strong fight for much of that match, but Mikel Arteta’s side secured the victory through two well-executed set-piece routines.

Since then, Amorim has faced the challenges of navigating the demanding English football schedule during his first two months at Old Trafford.

The Reds finally had a full week of training before their recent clash with Liverpool at Anfield, where their preparation paid off in a solid 2-2 draw.

Now, after another week of focused work at Carrington, Amorim will be aiming for a similarly strong performance as they take on Arsenal once again.

Why Amad is on the bench for United vs Arsenal

Before the game, Amorim suggested that he would play his full strength team but Amad was announced on the bench as one of only two changes from Liverpool.

The Ivorian has been one of the standout players for Amorim since he arrived and recently was rewarded with a new five-year contract at Old Trafford.

Alejandro Garnacho started in his place and it was explained that Amad had a small injury in training which has limited his involvement in North London.

However, the United boss also explained that Garnacho is being rewarded for his work in recent games and training.

The Argentine has not started a game since the defeat to Nottingham Forest at the beginning of December but most recently came off the bench to assist Amad’s equaliser at Anfield.

“Amad had a small issue during the week and I like the way Garnacho plays – he is playing well,” Amorim told the BBC ahead of the game.

“The way he is training we felt it was a good opportunity to see Garnacho start the game.”

Garnacho has big opportunity in United vs Arsenal

As mentioned, Garnacho has not been starting games recently and has looked uninspiring in most of his cameos off the bench.

The Liverpool game was the first time in a while where Garnacho was direct and produced quality in the final third.

Read More: Antonio Conte drops transfer bombshell as Manchester United ‘name Alejandro Garnacho price’ for Napoli move

Things have almost gone swimmingly for Garnacho since he was promoted from the Academy but this period has appeared to be his first real hurdle.

Producing against Arsenal in the FA Cup could be the perfect springboard for the player to get back to where he was at points last season.

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