Paul Scholes spoke after Manchester United’s 2-2 draw in Lyon, in which he praised one of the club’s standout performers, who could be set to start against Newcastle United on Sunday.
Manchester United’s 2-2 draw away at Lyon last night had a few positives to be drawn, with one of the key takeaways being how well Ruben Amorim utilised his substitutions.
Due to injury troubles lessening, last night saw Amorim able to turn to a high-quality bench for the first time in a long time, which ended up changing the game for his side.
These substitutions included Joshua Zirkzee, Mason Mount, and the long awaited Kobbie Mainoo, who all gave strong accounts of themselves despite not getting the result they wanted.
When discussing the result, Paul Scholes was asked about in particular about Zirkzee, who in his words, scored a “really good goal”.
Scholes highlights Zirkzee and Fernandes quality
The former United star was asked if he thought Zirkzee was good when he came on, to which he said, “Yeah, I thought so. Yeah, really good goal. He’s, again, been a little bit hit and miss”.
Scholes then went on to highlight Bruno Fernandes‘ importance by saying, “But it’s a great ball from Fernandes. Fernandes in them forward areas is really… You almost need two Bruno Fernandes. You need one in centre midfield and one who’s playing as a number 10”.
After this, the former England midfielder spoke about Amorim’s attack, as he labelled it as a ‘real problem’ for United going forward.
“But quality all round, especially in forward areas of pitch, is a real problem for Manchester United. And it’s something they’re going to have to sort out if they’re going to progress to where they want to be and try and win this tournament.”
Zirkzee makes case to start vs Newcastle
With a difficult trip to Newcastle around the corner, Amorim will be hoping that his side can put their attacking mishaps behind them, as they now look to have more quality at the top end of the pitch.
Read More: MUTV pundit praises three Manchester United stars vs Lyon, they “changed the game” for Ruben Amorim
With Rasmus Hojlund and Alejandro Garnacho lacking confidence in front of goal, this weekend presents a chance for Amorim to allow the Europa League goalscorer Zirkzee a chance to spearhead the side’s attack.
This may not be the only shakeup to Amorim’s forward line, as both Mainoo and Mount gave valiant Europa League cameos that could see them hoisted into the lineup as well.
With the United manager now having far more variety in his attacking options, this could spell for a more positive future, and Sunday’s clash with Newcastle could be the start of this.
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