Ruben Amorim: “I couldn’t get Marcus to see the way you’re supposed to play football”

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has revealed that Marcus Rashford’s loan move to Aston Villa was due to the attacker’s inability to see eye-to-eye with him regarding his footballing philosophy. The 27-year-old Rashford joined Villa on loan until the end of the season, with an option to make the deal permanent for £40m, potentially ending his near-lifelong association with United.

Speaking about Rashford’s departure, Amorim said, “I couldn’t get Marcus to see the way you’re supposed to play football and to train the way I see it. Sometimes you have one player that is really good with one coach, and the same player with another coach is different. I wish the best to Rashford and to [Villa manager] Unai Emery, and they can connect because he’s a very good player.”

When asked if Rashford explicitly stated that he disagreed with Amorim’s ideas about football, the Portuguese manager responded, “You know, like me, that it’s not the way that occurs. It’s something that you feel as a coach and as a player. It’s quite normal. It happened with a lot of coaches. The important thing is that I’m here saying that was my decision, like Ty [Malacia] and Antony was my decision to do these loans, and to keep some players even without any transfers.”

Amorim also admitted that he took a “risk” by not signing more players in the January transfer window, despite allowing Rashford and Antony to leave on loan to Villa and Real Betis, respectively. United completed only two signings in the window, with left-back Patrick Dorgu, 20, arriving from Lecce and centre-back Ayden Heaven, 18, signing from Arsenal.

“We are taking a risk but we want a different thing in the team, different profiles. It was my decision to do that,” Amorim explained. “What I feel is that the club is taking its time. We know the urgency of the moment of the team (but) everybody here does not want to make the same mistakes of the past. In the summer we will see but like I said we are being really careful with transfers because we did some mistakes in the past.”

Despite the challenges faced by Manchester United, who are currently 13th in the Premier League, Amorim remains confident in his approach. “I’m not naive, I said that many times, this is a sport of results and we are in a difficult situation,” he said. “I know when I choose this profession that you have the risk of results and I knew when I came here I look at the schedule, I look at the team, my decision changing everything in the middle of the season without new signings is a danger for a coach, but I have a clear idea of what I want to do and I take these risks because in the end it’s going to pay off.”

Rashford made six appearances for Manchester United under Amorim before expressing his desire for a “new challenge” in December. The England international’s loan move to Aston Villa marks a significant change in his career, as he looks to rediscover his form and contribute to Villa’s success under manager Unai Emery.