Amorim explains why he took off Zirkzee in just 32 minutes against Newcastle
Manchester United’s poor run of form continued in woe against Newcastle United. A 2-0 defeat saw a host of statistics come tumbling down, nearly all of them painting the Red Devils in poor light.
It was a dreadful first half performance yet again with goals from the opposition coming in even before the home side could find their bearings. Alexander Isak and Joelinton took all of twenty minutes to cement their lead and from there Newcastle was solid in their defense to not give away a famous victory.
It did seem like the script was being thrown away by Ruben Amorim, with personnel choices coming under scrutiny. Perhaps the best indicator of this was the substitution of Joshua Zirkzee in the 33th minutes itself. The reaction of the home crowd to see the striker come off and Kobbie Mainoo being brought on itself was a spectacle.
Quite understandably, the Portuguese gaffer was quizzed about his choices.
Speaking to Sky Sports (via Manchester United), Amorim revealed the reason: “I felt that the team was suffering another midfielder to have more ball, and then we start to have more ball with Kobbie Mainoo. It was really, really, really tough on me to do that [substitution].”
An understandable justification given the context of the game and the fact that the home side did not concede more goals for the rest of the fixture.
Of course, the manager was also classy enough not to point the blame at Zirkzee, stating: “He’s a really good lad, so you’ll have the support and you will prepare the next game. So we will support Josh and continue because, like I said, Newcastle were a better team. Was not better than Josh, was better than Manchester United.”
A solid defense and one that will go a long way in cajoling the youngster while still giving him the message that he needs to improve.
Given how the Marcus Rashford situation has also unfolded, things do look promising for the coach in terms of personnel management, but the results need to change.