Rangers legend Ally McCoist has argued that one Manchester United player experienced a “major slap in the face” under Red Devils manager Ruben Amorim.
Manchester United will return to action on Friday when they host Ruud van Nistelrooy’s Leicester City for the fourth round of the FA Cup at Old Trafford.
Ruben Amorim will be hopeful the Red Devils will bounce back after their 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace in the Premier League at Old Trafford on Sunday.
United started off strong against Crystal Palace in the first half, but the Red Devils were unable to break the deadlock before half-time.
Jean-Philippe Mateta fired the Eagles into the lead in the second half before he completed his brace in the 89th minute and sealed all three points for Palace.
Palace climbed above United in the Premier League table after Sunday’s 2-0 win, with the Red Devils languishing in 13th place after 24 matches played.
McCoist reacts to Man Utd star
Ruben Amorim called on Kobbie Mainoo to play as a false nine for Manchester United in the defeat to Crystal Palace at Old Trafford on the weekend.
Kobbie Mainoo was lively early in the first half and struck the post in the opening stages of the contest, but the United star’s influence waned in the match.
Amorim pulled the 19-year-old midfielder off in the second half when United were chasing the match and brought Red Devils striker Rasmus Hojlund on for him.
The 40-year-old United manager decided to not start either Rasmus Hojlund or Joshua Zirkzee, with the latter also coming off the bench for the Red Devils.
Speaking to TribalFootball, Ally McCoist insisted Hojlund should be knocking on Amorim’s door and asking why he isn’t starting for him when he is fit.
“Well, you tell me, I’ve got no idea, but whatever way you look at it, that’s a major slap in the face for Hojlund,” he said.
“To a lesser degree Zirkzee as well, but he’s not an out-and-out centre-forward.
“Hojlund is and if you’re Rasmus Hojlund, you’ll be knocking on the door Monday morning asking, ‘What’s going on? You’re playing somebody who’s not a centre-forward in my position. Are you trying to tell me something?’
“Playing Mainoo there certainly didn’t work that’s for sure.”
Why Amorim did not start Hojlund vs Palace
Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee have both started and played under Amorim since the United manager’s arrival from Sporting CP last November.
However, the two aforementioned United strikers have struggled with their form this season and the Red Devils have been left short in the final third for a goalscorer.
Speaking after the Palace match, Amorim revealed exactly why Hojlund and Zirkzee were on the bench and why Kobbie Mainoo played as a false nine for United.
“Today, we choose to play with Kobbie [Mainoo] to use the characteristics of Kobbie,” he said.
“It’s not nothing against Rasmus or Josh. And, sometimes, the team scores goals by creating situations, to use the right characteristics.
“It doesn’t mean if you play with two strikers you are going to score more goals. So, I think it’s a problem for the team and we have spoken about that all the time.
“We need to improve our performance in every aspect of the game, especially scoring goals.”
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/AyKuOQ0