Man Utd youngster risks losing first-team spot after Grimsby ‘earful’; Amorim has ready-made replacement

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim could decide to exclude Tyler Fredricson from his plans after his less-than-impressive outing in Grimsby.

The 20-year-old is a Man Utd academy product who earned his senior debut last April in a Premier League contest against Wolves. The young man is now considered a permanent member of the first team, and he was given the nod at the back alongside Harry Maguire and Ayden Heaven in the Carabao Cup contest against Grimsby last week.

Like the bulk of his teammates, Fredricson produced an abysmal display, as the Red Devils ended up suffering a humiliating elimination at the hands of the fourth-tier club.

With United trailing 0-2, Fredricson was hooked off at half-time in favour of Matthijs de Ligt, and according to Manchester Evening News journalist Steven Railston, he was on the receiving end of a Ruben Amorim ‘earful’.

(Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)

While the youngster was on the bench in the first two rounds of the Premier League season against Arsenal and Fulham, he was nowhere to be seen against Burnley, the contest that followed the defeat to Grimsby. This suggests that Amorim may have decided to drop Fredricson from his plans, despite the latter’s undoubted promise .

This would certainly be a blow to the young man, but as Railston reveals, Man Utd already have a ready-made replacement in Rhys Bennett who is eager to play his chances with the senior team.

The 21-year-old spent the last 18 months on loan between Stockport and Fleetwood, and most observers had expected him to seal another loan switch, especially after outgrowing the young academy football.

Nevertheless, a Man United staff member had noted how “Rhys has his sights set high,” hinting the youngster is aiming to break into Amorim’s rotation.

The first step for Bennett would be to usurp Fredricson in the pecking order. While this might be feasible in the current circumstances, earning playing time would be a significantly more daunting task, especially in the absence of European football and the aforementioned elimination from the Carabao Cup, not to mention Noussair Mazraoui’s imminent return to action