LONDON — There was a time when Manchester United chancing their luck on a rookie striker would create a moment of folklore.
Most famously, think Federico Macheda against Aston Villa in 2009. Or Danny Welbeck against Stoke City two years earlier. And then there was Marcus Rashford’s stunning full Premier League debut against Arsenal in 2016, scoring twice to offset an injury crisis under Louis van Gaal.
But as Sunday’s 1-0 defeat at Tottenham ticked into stoppage time, Ruben Amorim opted to throw on 17-year-old Chido Obi-Martin for his senior debut. A highly rated forward, devastatingly prolific at youth level and prized from Arsenal’s academy in what is regarded as a considerable coup, Obi-Martin did not touch the ball.
Instead of an entry into folklore, this was a cry for help. Amorim’s options were reduced further by injuries to Kobbie Mainoo and Amad Diallo — the latter is now set to miss the rest of the season.
They were missing 12 players in total through injury or illness, but it was nevertheless a truly remarkable sight to witness a club of United’s stature name a bench comprising eight teenagers and defender Victor Lindelöf.
Seven of those teenagers were born after the Glazer family took control of United in 2005. None of them had ever played in the Premier League.
It was in essence a strange decision by Amorim to introduce Obi-Martin at that point. Surely, if he’s ready, he gets 20 minutes or so to make his presence felt — a gambler’s punt of the kind Sir Alex Ferguson routinely made. Or if he’s not ready, why expose him to this situation at all?
United made something of a fight in the second half, thanks to James Maddison’s 13th-minute opener, but their attempts to rally were encouraged more than they should have been by an alarmingly fragile Tottenham team who made five substitutions of their own — largely like-for-like changes rather than closing the game down.
Amorim’s sole change spoke volumes. Alejandro Garnacho tried his best, Joshua Zirkzee showed some silky touches that were too far from goal, while Rasmus Højlund resembled a tracing of an elite center-forward rather than the real thing.
The combination meant United could only jab without ever landing a firm blow. The Obi-Martin substitution was one last swing, too little too late.
“If you see Chido playing sometimes, every ball lost in the box, he is very clever,” explained Amorim.
“So I was trying to put one more player because I felt the team was good during the game, I didn’t feel the need to change. Chido was like that player, one long ball he could make the difference. It is the hardest competition in the world. I am trying to be careful with the [young players].”
If anything, United are creating unwanted folklore. Among the myriad records they are racking up for all the wrong reasons, chalk up another: 12 defeats from 25 Premier League games is their worst record in a league campaign at this stage since 1973-74. They were relegated that year.
They are not seriously in danger of relegation now, but there is a real risk United are sleepwalking until the summer. But Amorim’s plea to “stop focusing on the big picture” is difficult to follow with United in 15th place with no end in sight to their current problems.
However, whatever the state of their opponents, this was nevertheless a much-needed tonic for Ange Postecoglou. The Spurs boss has come under mounting pressure as his team have lost eight of their past 11 league games, which a lengthy injury list does not entirely explain.
His enduring and rigid commitment to an open, expansive methodology will not be entirely vindicated by a narrow win against such a beleaguered United side. And yet, it creates a positive momentum, enhanced further by the return of goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario and Maddison to the starting line-up, with others soon to follow and a UEFA Europa League campaign to resume.
“I certainly believe there is still a hell of a lot on offer for us, this back-half of the year,” said Postecoglou.
“Europe is the obvious one, but even in the league I think we could make inroads there. We’re not happy with where we are. It’s unacceptable that we’re in the position we are. But the circumstances have dictated that to a great extent. The circumstances will change. The guys who came back in today will improve and make us stronger.
“There’s still two or three more on the horizon who will also come back. I think that gives us an opportunity before long. It’s only one game, but I thought today was an important game if we were going to start that progress. Getting three points makes us think, ‘OK, it’s starting to make an impact’.”
Fans assembled outside the ground before kick-off in the biggest protest yet at chairman Daniel Levy’s ownership and a few hundred committed to the sit-in after the final whistle.
Discontent continues to bubble underneath the surface, but of course, more results like this will lighten the mood and Postecoglou’s ability to call on additional senior players as they return to fitness will improve his chances of delivering a change of fortune.
If his time relying on inexperienced teenagers is coming to an end, it appears as though Amorim’s experience of something similar is only just beginning.
>
