Rúben Amorim has completely disagreed with Roy Keane following the former Manchester United captain’s comments about one of his players.
It is impossible to escape the opinions of former Manchester United players these days when it comes to assessing Rúben Amorim’s team.
Many of Sir Alex Ferguson’s former players regularly feature across British and international broadcasting channels, with Gary Neville, Roy Keane, Paul Scholes, and Rio Ferdinand staples of football coverage globally.
Beyond this, access to social media and the creation of YouTube channels has given fans unparalleled access to these former players, with Neville and Ferdinand creating successful independent podcasts and media companies that often focus on the performances of United.
However, there have been many instances of late were fans have felt that the criticism and lambasing of some players and the club as a whole has gone too far and, at points, has been at detrementn to the side’s success.
Amorim disagrees with Keane’s Zirkzee assessment
Following United’s recent 0-0 draw with Manchester City at Old Trafford, former United captain Keane unleashed a trademark rant regarding his former side’s players, explaining he felt a lot were “not good enough” on the day.
He chose to zone in on the club’s attacking line’s performances over the last two fixtures, stating he felt that those such as Joshua Zirkzee and Alejandro Garnacho were not going enough defensive work and “sacrificing” themselves for the good of the team.
However, Amorim has disagreed. Speaking about Zirkzee during his pre-match press conference for the Europa League tie against Olympique Lyonnais, the United head coach was full of praise for the “improving” Dutch forward.
“I think he’s improving in a lot of aspects,” Amorim stated. “I think he needs to be more selfish, and that is a thing when you play as a striker. He’s not a typical striker, but he has to be more selfish.
“He’s more aggressive now, he works better now, he’s defending better now, he’s connecting quite well. He played as a striker in some games, especially against Arsenal he did really, really well.
“Then in some games, against [Real Sociedad], he played as a 10, so he can adapt to different situations. So I see that Josh is improving and showing good things.”
Zirkzee can only survive in the attacking midfield role
Despite Amorim’s faith in Zikrzee’s improvement as a striker, many United fans will agree that the player is much better suited to the wide attacking role.
The 23-year-old thrives with the ball at his feet and given the freedom to drive forward, and these are traits he has been able to show off and explore while playing on the right or left of the striker rather than in the centre forward position himself.
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With Rasmus Højlund likely to remain at United and the club wanting to sign striker Liam Delap from Ipswich Town this summer, the only way Zirkzee will be able to survive at Old Trafford long-term is if he transitions to become an attacking midfielder.
With every player fit, Amorim has the options of Mason Mount, Zirkzee, and Amad in the positions, with Christian Eriksen set to leave and the future of Alejandro Garnacho unclear.
United are also looking to sign a new player to fill the wide midfield roles this summer. Many are hoping to see players such as Jack Moorhouse and James Scanlon breakthrough from the Academy to the first team in the next eight months, meaning Zirkzee will have to fight hard to prove himself at United.
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