Rio Ferdinand has hit out at Ruben Amorim for dropping Alejandro Garnacho to the bench as Manchester United lost to Tottenham in the Europa League final.
Brennan Johnson scored the only goal of the game at the San Mames to end Spurs’ 17-year wait for a trophy and secure Ange Postecoglou’s side a spot in the Champions League next season.
Johnson’s darting run into the six-yard box caught Luke Shaw on his heels at the end of the first half as he attempted to divert Pape Matar Sarr’s cross in, with the ball rebounding off Shaw and past Andre Onana.
Defeat in the final confirmed United’s worst season in 51 years, with the run to the Europa League final putting gloss on a miserable domestic campaign which has seen the Red Devils win just six of 26 league games since Amorim took charge in November.
Amorim made the shock decision to start Mason Mount over Garnacho despite the Argentinian starting every knockout game to get them to the final and largely impressing in those games.
“I feel Mason in this moment gives us a different balance,” Amorim told TNT Sports when asked about the decision ahead of the game. “The way he compacts the team, he’s an extra midfielder.
“Tottenham put full-backs and midfielders inside to overload the space. To have possession and a right foot in that position is important.”
Ferdinand appeared to be fully in favour of the switch ahead of the game, but claimed afterwards that Garnacho should have been playing to “stretch” Tottenham.
“That’s one thing I will question about the selection today for Man United,” Ferdinand told TNT Sports.
“Ruben Amorim was responsible for bringing Mason Mount into that midfield and we didn’t have anyone running in behind.
“Garnacho has done that all season, you can say what you like about his end product and his finishing but he does give you that threat stretching teams and we didn’t really see at any point Spurs stretched in that sense.”
Robert Garnacho took to social media to slam Amorim after the defeat, claiming his brother was ‘thrown under the bus’.
He posted on Instagram: ‘Working as no one else, helping every round, coming from 2 goals last 2 finals, just to be on the pitch 19 mins nd get thrown under the bus, wowe hajjahhahaha.’
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Amorim said after the game that he would quite “without conversation or compensation” if the United board felt it was time for him to leave, but Ferdinand believes he “needs more time” to embed his philosophy.
“I think he needs to be afforded a window,” Ferdinand told TNT Sports. “You can’t invest in a manager and not give him the ability to shuffle the pack and get some players in that fit the profile of players that he requires to implement his philosophy.
“I have said this before on numerous occasions: his way of playing compared to the past regime is very, very different in terms of formation and what he wants them to do.
“It is not like he is a manager that has come in and had to tweak a couple of things because his philosophy and identity of his team was similar to the past regime.
“I think he needs more time. He hasn’t had a pre-season and he hasn’t had time on the training pitch to coach these players as much as he would like, I am sure.
“I think he needs a couple of those things and a recruitment window to then give him real judgement and be as harsh as you want to be. Listen, there is no doubt, and I think he has said it himself, it has been a terrible season. It has been a disaster of a season domestically.
“Now, not winning this after putting all your eggs in this basket, this is a disaster as well in that sense. I think rather than being emotional about it, and there will be a lot of people out there that are, and they are entitled to be, but in the cold light of day, I think he needs some time and some of those things that I have said before.”
