Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has made a surprise decision ahead of this weekend’s trip to Brentford, by calling up a youngster who struggled in League Two to first-team training.
Man Utd set to travel to Brentford on Saturday
Man United will be looking to make it three wins from their last four Premier League games this weekend, when they travel to the Gtech Community Stadium to take on a Brentford side that are without a win in their last three top-flight outings.
Amorim will be pleased his side managed to return to winning ways against Chelsea last time out, winning 2-1 at Old Trafford, but it wasn’t exactly a vintage performance, with United clinging on at the end, despite racing into a two-goal advantage after Robert Sanchez’s red card.
As such, it is probably too early to claim the victory against the Blues could be a turning point in the season, and Amorim is continuing to look at ways in which he can improve his side.
As relayed by The Peoples Person, the Man United boss has called a youngster up to first-team training ahead of the trip to Brentford this weekend, with an official statement reading: “Young midfielder Sam Mather was also part of the group that worked in pleasant conditions on Tuesday, in stark contrast to the torrential rain that affected last weekend’s win.”
Mather is a natural winger, who is also able to play in attacking midfield, and with Amorim arguably lacking options in wide areas after Alejandro Garnacho’s departure, the 21-year-old is now training with the first-team, in what has to be considered a surprising development.
The winger came very close to leaving the Red Devils in the summer transfer window, after failing to make an impact on loan at League Two side Tranmere Rovers last season, but he now has a golden opportunity to prove himself ahead of the January transfer window.
Mather faces difficult path to save his Man Utd career
In all honesty, it seems very unlikely that the Salford-born ace will be able to save his Man United career at this stage, given that he struggled during a loan spell with Tranmere last season, appearing for just four minutes across two League Two appearances.
There are question marks over Amad Diallo’s performances this season, with YouTuber Stephen Howson calling the winger into question after the 2-1 victory against Chelsea last weekend.
However, Matheus Cunha is now back from injury, and Bryan Mbeumo has made a solid start to life at Old Trafford, starting all five Premier League games and opening his account in the 3-2 victory against Burnley earlier this month.
As a result, Mather is unlikely to be able to force his way into Amorim’s plans, and the call-up to first-team training is unlikely to be a sign the United academy product will be receiving minutes anytime soon.