Match Coverage
Manchester United star “really frustrated” during Southampton clash, Ruben Amorim must take him out of firing line
One Manchester United star should be taken out of the firing line after a run of poor performances under Ruben Amorim.
Manchester United secured a 3-1 victory over Southampton on Thursday evening at Old Trafford, thanks to a late hat-trick from Amad.
Despite the positive result, Ruben Amorim’s team delivered a largely underwhelming performance and were fortunate to claim all three points.
While Amad’s brilliance shone through, many United players struggled, with several continuing to fall short of expectations under Amorim’s leadership.
Højlund failed to impress in United vs Southampton
Hojlund started for United in this game despite many calls for Joshua Zirkzee to bench the Danish international, who has not scored in his last eight appearances.
The 21-year-old was trusted to play but did his manager no favours with his performance, with another goalless display.
But in this game, it was Hojlund’s inability to bring others into play when the ball was played into him. He won just two out of 10 duels attempted throughout.
That made it more difficult for United to progress play and is something that started to “really frustrate” supporters within Old Trafford on the night.
During the game, ESPN journalst Rob Dawson noted: “Crowd starting to get really frustrated with Hojlund. Struggling to hold the ball up and get United moving up the pitch.”
Amorim should take Højlund out of United team
Højlund has now had an extended period in the team and things haven’t gone brilliantly for him. The striker has started nine of the last 11 games and showed very little in that time.
It isn’t exactly like Zirkzee is a major upgrade but at the moment he appears to have more confidence than his competitor and can hold the ball up better in moments where Højlund struggles.
Even without that being a factor, it would still benefit Højlund to have some time out of the team and to try and make an impression off the bench.
Read More: Premier League explain why VAR did not award penalty for Manchester United vs Southampton
Towards the end of last season the striker managed to make a positive impact off the bench in several games and that could be useful to have now
United do not often have many impact players on the bench, so it seems sensible to move Højlund back into that role while Zirkzee gets a chance in the team over the next few weeks.
Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is released every Wednesday at 6 pm (BST) on the United View YouTube channel.
-
News2 days ago
When is the FA Cup fifth round draw? Manchester United details and ball number
-
News2 days ago
Tyrell Malacia provides honest assessment on Manchester United struggles after PSV debut
-
News2 days ago
Sverre Nypan reveals why he didn’t join Manchester City or Arsenal in January, Man United interest explained
-
News2 days ago
Manchester United handed Marcus Rashford return verdict despite what Rúben Amorim told him last month