The curse of the phone: Why Garnacho struggles at Man Utd while Amad and Rashford shine

In a surprising twist of irony, the controversy surrounding Garnacho getting into hot water with his manager yet again due to social media ultimately turned out to benefit him. Reports suggested that he had been left out of the starting lineup for Saturday's victory against Southampton because he had 'liked' a post from Cristiano Ronaldo. However, Erik ten Hag emphasized before the match that the decision was purely tactical and not related to social media activity. Despite this clarification, it put Garnacho in a tough spot, with the manager implying that he had been benched due to his performance in the previous loss to Liverpool.

Dumped to the bench for supporting a Ronaldo dig at his manager is one thing. But being demoted due to form after a heavy defeat? Well, that reads like something else altogether. But either way, Garnacho and his phone habits are doing him no favours. Particularly when you consider his Ronaldo folly came just days after he was induced into a back-and-forth with one online fan  critical of his performance against Liverpool. Over 11.5m followers Garnacho now boasts, yet he is lured into a spat by a single poster winding him up? This phone and social media lark just isn't working for him...

Indeed, as we witnessed on Saturday, it's actually working against him. Yeah, the winger scored United's third - superbly - as a second-half substitute well into injury-time. But on form, it's likely Garnacho is now the odd one out. 

Significantly, Ten Hag handed the outstanding Amad Diallo a full 90 at St Mary's. A message to Garnacho? Perhaps. But it was also a definite show of confidence and reward from the manager for Amad's performance on the day. It was his best in a United shirt and one the young winger has been threatening to produce since finding some form and momentum in preseason.

Amad is now emerging - and fast. He's showing he's no longer a project. No longer one for the future. He's for the here and now. The trickery. The guile. The speed-of-thought. It's always been there. But now he's physically stronger. He's found that extra yard of pace. And he's fulfilling the potential John Murtough, United's former technical director, spotted when scouting a 16 year-old Amad with Atalanta's primavera team. It's been a three-year development path, but Amad is now showing why those upstairs - pre-Ineos - refused to consider his sale. They've found one here, have United - as Ten Hag has recognised.

So on this form, there's little chance of Amad suddenly being swapped out for Garnacho. Momentum is with the Ivorian, thanks - in part - to Garnacho's phone habits. 

And then, on the other flank, is Marcus Rashford. Again, like Amad, victory at Saints could prove a watershed moment for United's No10. Rashford's goal just before halftime a first in the Premier League in 189 days. That it was Ruud van Nistelrooy who was first out of seat to celebrate in the away dugout told it's own story. Ten Hag's coaching staff are putting hours of extra work into Rashford at Carrington. And the quality of his finish on Saturday was a just reward for all involved.

So, with a goal and self-belief to build upon, there's little-to-no chance his manager is going to withdraw Rashford from his starting XI for Garnacho. As we say, it's all about suckers and breaks...

Of course, the form of Rashford. The emergence of Amad. Even the desperation of Garnacho. It does offer Ten Hag the exciting option of pitting all three together behind Josh Zirkzee in United's attack. Whether he can make it work, that will be the challenge, but the chances are now greater with a player of Manuel Ugarte's energy and mobility available to underpin it all.

It was a steady debut from the Uruguayan. A steady cameo, from a steady, defensively-minded midfielder. He's not about goals or lung-bursting runs. Ugarte is your typical South American defensive pivot, very much in the style of a Carlos Dunga. Indeed, they're still talking about his performance in Uruguay's victory over Brazil in this summer's Copa America back home in Montevideo. If he can produce such displays consistently for United, then Garnacho may actually get on the same pitch as Amad and Rashford.

And further improving those odds would be the decision to put his phone away. As Ten Hag has shown with Rashford, there is always a way back with the Dutchman. But returning to the starting XI doesn't just depend on the manager. The performance of Amad and Rashford at St Mary's has made things just that little more difficult for Garnacho. What's that saying about suckers and breaks...?