Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has launched a stinging rebuke of young players Harry Amass and Chido Obi, accusing them of displaying an "entitled" attitude after they responded to his criticism via social media.
The Portuguese boss expressed frustration that both 18-year-olds chose to post images on Instagram rather than address their concerns with him directly.
Amorim suggested their behaviour exemplifies a deeper malaise within the Old Trafford setup.
"I think it is the feeling of entitlement that we have in our club," he stated during Friday's press conference ahead of United's trip to Aston Villa.
Ruben Amorim risked irking United's young stars with his comments
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The manager made clear that his door remains open for dialogue, yet neither player has sought a conversation.
The row stems from remarks Amorim made last week when discussing his use of academy talent.
He pointed to Amass, currently on loan at Sheffield Wednesday, as someone who was finding life difficult at the foot of the Championship table. The manager also noted that Obi was not a regular starter for United's Under-21 side.
Both teenagers took exception to these observations. When the quotes surfaced on Monday, Amass uploaded a photograph of himself clutching Sheffield Wednesday's Player of the Month trophy.
Obi, meanwhile, shared an image celebrating a goal he had scored for the youth team. Both posts were subsequently removed from their accounts.
Harry Amass and Chido Obi responded to Ruben Amorim on social media
|Amorim elaborated on what he perceives as a troubling pattern at the club. "They feel free to respond to the manager with a picture, my office is open, nobody is coming to talk to me. And that is the way we can solve things," he explained.
The 39-year-old acknowledged his own shortcomings on the pitch whilst defending his conduct off it.
"Sometimes I'm the first one to say that I'm failing this club inside the pitch, I have that feeling we are not performing the way we should be but outside the pitch, I guarantee you I'm not failing to this club."
He added that players occasionally forget the significance of representing Manchester United, and that the institution itself sometimes loses sight of its identity.
Amorim stood by his original assessment, insisting he had said nothing untoward.
"I just spoke about how the luck of playing for Manchester United," he remarked.
Ruben Amorim slammed the sense of entitlement at United
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"Sometimes you play for Manchester United and you go see different realities and you understand that football can be so different and that you are really lucky to be in Manchester United."
The manager called for wholesale transformation within the club's culture. "I think we need to change first as a club and then everything is going to change," he declared.
He also pushed back against former United stars who have advised players to seek moves elsewhere if overlooked.
"Let's stay, let's fight, let's overcome, maybe the manager is wrong," Amorim countered.