Amorim simply must sell 3/10 Man Utd “pushover”

Ruben Amorim predicted that his side should “suffer” in its first phase Manchester United tenure, but not even the Portuguese tactician could have predicted how much suffering there would be…

The former Sporting CP manager had enjoyed a 34-game unbeaten run in the league before the defeat to Arsenal earlier this month. He has now racked up four Premier League defeats in just over a month in charge. That’s what United can do.

Not that the young manager is flawless, but after the collective problems he suffered under his predecessor Erik ten Hag, much of the blame must lie with this group of players. In the words of ‘Orange Juice’, maybe it’s time to ‘rip it up and start over…’

A full squad overhaul may seem rushed, with Amorim still needing time to get his ideas across, but for too long this failed crop has been let down, as was the case again in the dismal 2-0 defeat of Thursday against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Devoid of ideas in attack, outmatched and outplayed in midfield, and weak in defence, this is a team that deserves to languish. 14th in the Premier League table.

Man Utd’s worst players against Wolves

Where to start?

Well, an obvious place to start would be this man Bruno Fernandeswith the United skipper foolishly picking up a second yellow card just after the break, following an unnecessary late tackle on compatriot Nelson Semedo.

For the third time this season, the Portuguese shot-stopper has seen red, and while he may have had legitimate complaints regarding his dismissals against Tottenham Hotspur and Porto earlier in the campaign, there was no excuse this time.

The 30-year-old’s overall performance at the number ten spot, which saw him win just three of his 12 ground duels, according to Sofascore – was in stark contrast to Wolves main man Matheus Cunha, with the Brazilian bagging a goal and an assist, while also winning 13 tackles on the floor in what was a truly all-round performance.

Cunha’s dynamism and work ethic also contrasted sharply with youngster Kobbie Mainoo in the center of the park, with the 19-year-old midfielder – who scored the winner last time out at Molineux in February – rightly hooking an hour later wasting the ball 11 times with just 37 touches.

Injuries and managerial upheaval have certainly affected the Englishman this season, after the highs of securing a place at Euro 2024 last season, but he should be given time to return to his best.

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Time, however, is not something that should be gifted to one of his teammates, as fans have certainly seen enough of a certain Andrew Onan.

Why you need to replace Andre Onana

It must be said that not too long ago the Cameroonian looked like United’s.”best player this season“, according to journalist Steven Railston, having produced numerous key moments in the opening strikes of 2024/25, including his double save at Crystal Palace.

With that in mind, it may be rash to say that the former Ajax man should now be dropped, although recent weeks have laid bare why he is not up to the task. At a time when United – and new boss Amorim – need calm, Onana only provides chaos.

The 28-year-old is not alone in this, of course, but Amorim’s first reign has already been littered with goalkeeping errors. Against Nottingham Forest, Onana somehow failed to keep out Morgan Gibbs-White’s long-range effort, having been unable to deal with Chris Wood’s header.

After another comical error when trying to play from the back against Viktoria Plzen, while the Red Devils’ first-choice stopper was also culpable at Molineux, having allowed Cunha to score remarkably straight from a corner.

As Altay Bayindir suffered similarly against Spurs last week, perhaps this latest error is the result of a tactical problem, but the way Onana saw the ball sail over him was tame indeed. It is not surprising that journalist Samuel Luckhurst he called it “power”.

The £120,000 per week tap – who received a match score of 3/10 de Luckhurst: He looks a lot more like the player who withered during United’s Champions League group stage debacle last season, in which he played in at least two errors leading directly to a goal.

Having been at the center of so many mistakes after joining in the summer of 2023 is frankly not a good picture, unsurprisingly Amorim has seen enough of them, amid claims that the new boss wants to replace Onana in January.

sale the £47.5m man in the winter window it may seem like an unlikely and bold move, but on the evidence of recent form, which has seen United suffer three consecutive defeats, no one in the squad is safe.

The Old Trafford side have accepted less for far too long. No more

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