Ruben Amorim at risk of causing huge stir among Man United fans after recent warning shot

Manchester United were able to edge out their latest Premier League win over Ipswich Town but the Old Trafford clash wasn’t without its hairy moments. Ruben Amorim was even seemingly subjected to boos from fans following his decision to substitute Alejandro Garnacho before half-time.

The Red Devils had far from an easy outing as the match was left wide open at the break after four first half goals. United were also forced to play the full second half with ten men after Patrick Dorgu was sent off.

To limit the damage from the red card, Amorim opted to sacrifice Garnacho to bring on Noussair Mazraoui. It wasn’t a decision that went down particularly well with the home fans, who seemed to boo in response to the substitution.

Alejandro Garnacho substitution fallout

Garnacho made his way off the pitch, and instead of joining his teammates on the bench, he walked straight down the tunnel. Naturally, a lot of speculation initially swirled around his movements but a clip has surfaced of the Argentine’s walk back to the dressing room, and it appears he signals to the bench that he is going to change out of his rain-soaked kit.

Amorim has also since cleared up Garnacho’s pitch exit and urged everyone to ‘move on’ from the topic.

“It was funny because the next day he came to me, to my office. I did some ­investigations, and he went to the dressing room, he changed his clothes because he was wet,” the boss said.

“He watched the game in a ­different [place], not on the bench. At the end of the game he was there, then he went home, so there’s not an issue there. But I told [him] that in ­Manchester United everything is important, and the perception in a big club is really important, so he’s going to pay for dinner for the team, and that’s it.

“He’s a young kid that will learn. The important thing is that the next morning he was speaking with me. We have to understand the situation, the context, the age of the players.”

Ruben Amorim at risk of Man United fan upset

While Amorim has explained his decision to hook Garnacho was merely a tactical one, the initial response from some United supporters at the match seemed to be negative. After appearing to boo Amorim’s decision, fans chanted Garnacho’s song as he walked off the pitch and towards the tunnel.

The winger has established himself as a fan favourite and those close to the club can also see how much he is backed and appreciated. Even though Amorim’s decision against Ipswich was necessary for the match, he does still run the risk of causing a stir among a lot of fans.

Garnacho was subject to interest from other clubs during the winter window and United even knocked back a bid from Napoli, who already signed Scott McTominay last year.

According to the Manchester Evening News, staff at Old Trafford were ‘relieved’ the club didn’t sell Garnacho, as there was fear it ‘would have caused uproar among United supporters’. It was also viewed as ‘impossible’ for the club to frame a potential departure as positive news to the fanbase.

As a homegrown player, Garnacho will bring in pure profit if he is to be sold at some point, but the recent claims regarding staff opinions suggest a sale any time soon is not going to go down well with supporters.

Fans also took to social media to question the winger being hauled off before the break against Ipswich. One fan slammed Amorim’s choice as a ‘garbage decision’ while others stressed how they believed he should have stayed on the pitch.

The boos, the chanting of Garnacho’s name, the social media fallout and the apparent fear from staff of an ‘uproar’ all serve as something of a warning shot to Amorim. While many have argued the decision to drop the winger against Manchester City has improved his game, it seems it’s an unpopular opinion to sacrifice Garnacho over others.

The atmosphere surrounding United has been tricky recently. Frustrating results have kept the Red Devils outside the top ten in the Premier League and Amorim remains relatively divisive among fans based on their match-day reactions. For some, he is a breath of fresh air with his decision-making. For others, he is causing friction and more decisions against fan favourites could put him at risk of stirring up further negative responses.

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