“Why Didn’t He Start?”—Rio Ferdinand Slams Ruben Amorim’s Big Europa League Final Decision

Rio Ferdinand Questions Amorim’s Call to Bench Garnacho in Europa League Final Defeat

Manchester United’s 2024-25 season came to a bitter end with a 1-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final — a performance that left fans and pundits equally frustrated. Among the many questions raised after the loss, club legend Rio Ferdinand zeroed in on one particular decision by manager Ruben Amorim: leaving Alejandro Garnacho out of the starting XI.

United’s display at the San Mames Stadium in Bilbao was flat and uninspired. A familiar sight this season, defensive lapses saw United concede in the first half. But the real disappointment came from their lack of attacking threat. Outside of a few promising moments from Amad Diallo in the first half, United failed to trouble a Spurs defence that has also been vulnerable throughout the campaign.

Bruno Fernandes struggled to impact the game, and with no other player stepping up creatively, the Red Devils looked disjointed in the final third.

For Ferdinand, the absence of Garnacho from the starting lineup was a major tactical misstep. Speaking on TNT Sports after the match, he said:
“That’s one question mark I had with the selection today for Man United. We didn’t have anybody running in behind, and Garnacho has done that all season when he has played.”

Ferdinand acknowledged that Garnacho’s final product may still need refining but emphasized his value in stretching defences and creating space.
“Whether you like him or not in terms of his finishing and end product, he does give you that threat which stretches teams — and at no point in this game were Spurs stretched in that sense.”

Garnacho was introduced off the bench in the second half and immediately brought energy, including one dangerous shot after cutting inside. However, by then, Spurs had shifted into a defensive shape, adding an extra centre-back and closing down any available space. It was a difficult environment for the Argentine to make a difference.

While Mason Mount had impressed as a substitute in the semi-final second leg, he failed to influence the game in Bilbao. In hindsight, it’s easy to wonder whether starting Garnacho would’ve made a difference — but as Ferdinand pointed out, his pace and directness could have posed a real problem for Spurs early on.