Ruben Amorim left ‘frustrated’ by Manchester United star despite public backing

Ruben Amorim was left ‘frustrated’ by one Manchester United star during the defeat against Tottenham Hotspur on the weekend despite publicly backing for the player.

Manchester United were knocked out of the Carabao Cup following a gut-wrenching 4-3 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in the quarter-final on Thursday evening.

Ruben Amorim’s side dominated the majority of the game but were ultimately punished through poor mistakes and clinical finishing from Spurs.

Several players who started the game also underperformed and lacked the edge needed to secure victory.

Amorim frustrated with Antony during Spurs clash

Antony was trusted to start the encounter after two promising displays off the bench against Viktoria Plzen and Manchester City.

However, the Brazilian was unable to impress during the game and instead produced a performance that we have become accustomed to during his time at Old Trafford.

During his time on the pitch, Antony failed to complete all four of his attempted take-ons and lost 10 of his 14 duels.

One of those duels led to a dangerous chance for Spurs, with the £85 million man looking way off the pace as Yves Bissouma pickpocketed him in possession.

Mirror journalist Ryan Taylor noted that this incident visibly frustrated Amorim, who substituted the winger early in the second half.

“Antony was cheaply dispossessed deep into Spurs’ half so easily by Yves Bissouma, Amorim bowed his head in frustration and turned his back to the pitch,” he wrote.

“The Portuguese boss attempted to coach his winger through the game, barking out countless instructions and while Antony’s touches were at times deft, his lack of strength stood out like a sore thumb in a thunderous game that was played at full throttle.”

Amorim publicly defends Antony

Despite the obvious frustrations about his game, Antony has been defended by his manager in the media during his post-match press conference.

Amorim explained that the 24-year-old is lacking confidence but assured that he will help him improve as long as he works hard behind the scenes.

“He needs more confidence,” the boss told journalists. “If you remember the Antony in Ajax – he lacks a little bit of confidence to go one against one.

“He will improve… He just has to do that, to work really hard and I will help him to be a better player.”

Read More: Manchester United insiders have ‘growing belief’ Ruben Amorim will promote 19yo talent this season

It is great to see that Amorim is not willing to throw any players under the bus but it is also clear that he is getting frustrated by the levels of several players and they might not have long-term futures under his management.

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