Roy Keane has ripped into Manchester United following their recent 1-0 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final.
Manchester United have lost the Europa League final 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur following a first-half goal from Brennan Johnson. The defeat has confirmed United’s absence from European football next season.
Ruben Amorim’s team dominated possession and had far more shots than Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs but failed to break through. One of the best chances came from a Rasmus Hojlund header that was admirably cleared off the line by Micky van de Ven.
United’s goal deficit has been a problem all season, especially against Premier League sides. In the league, United have scored only 42 goals, 15 fewer than last season.
This lack of goal-scoring options was among the many criticisms United legend Roy Keane had about the final.
Keane warns Amorim about relying on unorthodox player
While appearing on CBS, Keane slated United’s final performance: “Just when you think things can’t get any worse for Man United, it’s been the story all year.
“They’ve been getting out of jail with European football, and it’s been covering the huge cracks at Man United. All season, they have been so easy to beat.”
Keane had previously criticised the team for not giving 100% in Premier League games because of their focus on the Europa League. With the club’s European campaign coming to a pitiful end, the decision to disregard League games looks even worse.
Despite going 1-0 down in the first half, United still had hope due to some of the impressive comebacks they had managed at various points in the season. However, Keane doesn’t believe some of those comebacks were deserved.
“They got lucky a few times in Europe and then tonight again, ultimately it’s not good enough. They didn’t show enough quality. Not enough options off the bench.”
Keane particularly focused on how United had to once again rely on playing a centre-back up front at the end of the game in a desperate attempt to score a goal. He stated that Amorim may be “in trouble” if he continues to rely on Harry Maguire.
“If you’re depending on Harry Maguire to get you out of jail, you’re in trouble.” After Hojlund came off, Joshua Zirkzee was the main attacker for United but ended up being the only red shirt in Tottenham’s box on several occasions, leading to Amorim sending Maguire forward.
United’s new attack will change Amorim’s fortunes
Amorim will not want to rely on centre-backs as attacking options in key fixtures next season. To rectify this, the club will look to bring in more attacking players this summer.
The player who looks most likely to join is Wolves’ Matheus Cunha, who has impressed this season in the Premier League. United look set to activate the Brazilian’s release clause shortly after the season ends, and Amorim will be hoping that Cunha will not only be able to score goals but also create some.
Maguire has been forced to play as a makeshift striker when Hojlund wasn’t on the pitch, and Zirkzee has played his best football in a deeper role. This means the club will have to sign a strike,r and without Champions League football, Liam Delap looks like the most likely option.
With Ipswich being relegated a Europeless United would still be a step up compared to a striker like Viktor Gyokeres who has secured Champions League football with Sporting Lisbon and would have to forsake it to join the club.
At this stage, it is unclear which targets will rule out a move to United now that they don’t have Champions League football and which players the club will be ruled out of signing due to their finances.
However, the crucial thing is that they must bring in someone, as playing makeshift centre-back strikers is not sustainable.
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