Manchester United slipped to a dismal defeat to Newcastle on Monday night and Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher did not hold back with his analysis on their struggles
Jamie Carragher hammered Joshua Zirkzee after the striker was hauled off just 32 minutes into Manchester United’s defeat to Newcastle.
Zirkzee joined United in the summer in a £35.5million move from Bologna, but has struggled to adapt to life in the Premier League. He has scored just four goals in all competitions, with Rasmus Hojlund often starting ahead of him.
He was picked to operate in one of the No.10 roles behind Hojlund for Monday’s visit of Newcastle to Old Trafford. But it was a disastrous night for the Dutchman, who made just three accurate passes and failed to have a shot.
He was hauled off just after the half-hour mark to be replaced by Kobbie Mainoo. By that time United were already 2-0 down after goals from Alexander Isak and Joelinton. And Carragher backed boss Ruben Amorim’s brutal move to replace Zirkzee.
“I think Newcastle’s midfield can go up against any in the Premier League. It’s got a little bit of everything and we saw that in the first half. We knew tonight they would be on the front foot and I didn’t think they would take a backward step as why would you?” Carragher told Sky Sports.
“United have been awful, and you just looked at the lack of mobility and athleticism in their team – not just in Eriksen and Casemiro. Zirkzee can’t run, he can’t move. I just couldn’t see anything other than Newcastle winning that game.”
“A lot of this is on the manager tonight, but right now it is not just about tonight. United have lost five of their last six. That’s relegation form.”
Will Joshua Zirkzee prove his critics wrong? Give us your prediction in the comments section.
Amorim admitted that Zirkzee is ‘suffering’ but pledged his support for the 23-year-old, who headed straight down the tunnel after his substitution. The United boss insisted though that it was the right call to replace the forward.
“Josh is a player for Manchester United and we want more power sometimes in front. We are suffering always the first goal from set pieces so we picked more guys for set pieces,” he told Sky Sports.
“We are trying to solve problems in the team but we have a lot of problems and sometimes you push one side, and the other side is open. You have to think about the team but also the player, but the player is suffering.
“I thought the team was suffering and we needed another midfielder to have more ball. It was really tough for me to do that, but I’ve spoken to Josh as it was important to express the message. For the team, it was important for Josh to go out.
“I know that Josh is a really good guy. When he went to the tunnel, I can understand that some guys can be in a bad way but he is a really good lad. It is life, and we will support Josh and continue. Newcastle were better than Manchester United, they weren’t better than Josh.”
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