Manchester United’s crisis seems to have no end. Not even Rúben Amorim is managing to stop the free fall of a team that continues to break down almost after every game.
A new defeat, this time at Old Trafford against Newcastle (0-2), once again showed the lack of consistency of a team where there does not seem to be a single player who can help their new coach change the trend.
Against the Magpies, United broke down in the middle of the field, where Eriksen and Casemiro were unable to maintain control, and where Zirkzee, charged with trying to create play, failed to do so. The 22-year-old missed six passes and lost possession seven times, which led Amorim to make a drastic decision: substitute him 33 minutes into the game.
Amorim was thus trying to make a tactical adjustment by bringing in Mainoo. The change, logically, surprised everyone, including Zirkzee, who left the field quickly, trying to hold on while hearing boos from the stands, which turned into applause when Mainoo entered the green.
As he left the field, he shook hands with his coach, but quickly left to get his jacket and, from there, to the locker room. His face was a poem, trying to avoid tears of rage. Although he returned to the bench a few minutes later, the incident fueled speculation about his growing discontent and his future at the club.
Juventus, on the prowl
Zirkzee arrived at Manchester United six months ago in exchange for 43 million euros and a six-year contract. But he has not finished exploiting his power at Old Trafford, where the fans seem to have already taken him in. Rumors suggest that he wants to leave the club, preferably in this winter market, and Juventus seems the best placed team to take him.
