Former Manchester United coach Benni McCarthy has revealed why Erik ten Hag constantly overlooked Amad Diallo.
McCarthy – who joined United in the summer of 2022 – primarily worked with forward players and so had a good understanding of Ten Hag’s thought process when selecting his attackers.
For some parts of last season and this term before his sacking, Ten Hag became unpopular within a section of the fanbase for failing to give Amad more minutes.
The Dutch coach constantly demonstrated a preference for other options in wide areas including Antony, Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford.
Even though he’d impress during the limited playing time he was afforded, it just seemed like Amad could never really break into the first team.
Ten Hag’s decision to regularly overlook Amad has been made to look even more ridiculous courtesy of the Ivorian’s exploits under Ruben Amorim.
Amad has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of Amorim’s arrival at Old Trafford and at the moment, the 22-year-old is almost certainly one of the first names on the team sheet.
Speaking on the Podcast and Chill Network, McCarthy was asked why Ten Hag didn’t fancy Amad during his stint in the United dugout.
McCarthy responded, “Tactically, when we set up, the manager felt that Antony was the best, better player for the job that he wanted because he knew Antony from Ajax. He was his player, so he invested in him, and the club supported him.”
“So, of course, he had to support the player that he bought, I think that’s why he persisted in playing Antony. It’s because he knew the capabilities when Antony was at his best.”
“And then you had [Alejandro] Garnacho who was also playing well, scoring goals. [Marcus] Rashford, on any given day, could demolish anyone.”
McCarthy added, “And then you’ve got [Rasmus] Hojlund, you spend £70m on bringing him in, so he has to play.”
“So someone’s gotta [miss out], and unfortunately for Amad, the manager goes with the player he thinks is probably more capable for, for those type of games tactically, defensively and attacking.”
Amad has registered 11 direct goal involvements in his last 11 appearances across all competitions.
Featured image Carl Recine via Getty Images
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