Gary Neville has suggested that Man United boss Ruben Amorim doesn’t like two of his players.
Amorim, 40, has endured a difficult start to life at Old Trafford since arriving from Sporting Lisbon in November, losing eight of his first 19 games in charge.
The most recent of these came on Sunday when the Red Devils suffered a demoralising 2-0 home defeat by Crystal Palace to leave them languishing in 13th place in the Premier League and 14 points off the top four.
Amorim made the bold move to bench both of United’s recognised strikers in Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund for the clash, instead picking Kobbie Mainoo as a false nine.
However, the move was unsuccessful as Jean-Philippe Mateta netted a brace and while Zirkzee and Hojlund – who together cost the club more than £100million – were introduced in the second half, they failed to make an impact on the game.
And, speaking after the match, Neville felt Amorim’s team selection was a mistake, while he hinted that the Portuguese coach wasn’t a fan of the striking pair.
Gary Neville has suggested Man United boss Ruben Amorim doesn’t like two of his players
Amorim made the bold decision to leave Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund on the bench
He instead deployed Kobbie Mainoo as a false nine for the clash against Crystal Palace
‘The only thing I can think is that it’s one of two things,’ he told The Gary Neville Podcast. ‘Maybe it’s experimenting to the point whereby he’s just trying to find a solution that works and he likes and a system he wants to play. Or he doesn’t like the strikers he’s got.
‘When I saw the teamsheet, I thought Fernandes would play in that position or Garnacho. When I saw Kobbie up there, everything has to be absolutely perfect.
‘From Palace’s point of view, they would fancy that because there’s no real goalscorer in the team.
‘I’m not saying if Hojlund was up there they’d panic but at least then there’s a physical presence. Zirkzee is a big lad.
‘I’m not saying they’re brilliant these players but I couldn’t really see how United would score. Where’s it going to come from?’
Zirkzee and Hojlund have both endured difficult campaigns for the club, with the Dutch star having scored just three Premier League goals, while the Dane has netted twice in the top flight.
United had hoped to bring in attacking reinforcements in January but despite links with Mathys Tel, the Bayern Munich star ultimately joined Tottenham, although they did add wingback Patrick Dorgu and defender Ayden Heaven.
And Neville went onto insist that while Amorim may have been keen to strengthen in attack, if he wants to salvage something from this season, he has to put in faith at those at his disposal.
Neville was critical of Amorim and claimed he has to use all the players he has at his disposal
United’s defeat by Palace left them in the 13th in the Premier League, 14 points off the top four
‘He won’t be enjoying this but I think he’s got to simplify it,’ he added. ‘While he might not like Hojlund, he might not think Zirkzee is great, he might not like other players, but he’s got to pick the players he has, the players he’s been served.
‘It can’t keep going on as it is, they need to start to play better but where is that coming from? At this moment in time it’s a very sorry situation watching Manchester United play.’
Meanwhile, Neville also launched a scathing assessment of the first few months of the Amorim era, which has seen United lose five of their seven home league matches.
Despite the club’s torrid form, he predicted that things will go even further downhill before the end of the campaign, and said that their current progression – or lack thereof – could hinder next season’s plans too.
‘I thought it would get better when Ruben Amorim came in,’ he said. ‘I thought the enthusiasm and the new system, I thought they’d buy into it the players, and we’d see a bounce.
‘We’ve seen the absolute opposite. It’s got a lot worse and that’s surprising.’
He continued: ‘But there’s going to be a lot more pain towards the end of the season and it is going to be damaging.
‘They’re obviously going to stick with Ruben Amorim, but the more you lose, the more difficult it is to convince the players of the idea. The idea that he talked about in the early days.
‘You need the players to buy into it, but if they lose with it, and they keep getting criticised, the spotlight comes on them more and the fans are leaving unhappy.
‘You can’t keep losing. It will depress the thoughts of the players, to the point whereby they’ll lose faith with the idea.
‘It’ll damage the start of next season. He has to do something. He can’t change his approach because he’s died in a ditch on it. And rightly so. I think he’s lost more games at Manchester United since he’s comein than he lost in the last 75 at Sporting.’
United return to action on Friday when they entertain Leicester in the FA Cup fourth round.
