Ruben Amorim was clearly far from impressed by the impact of two Manchester United players during their 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest.
Manchester United conceded within the first five minutes following their opening corner of the match. Nottingham Forest launched a swift counter-attack, culminating in a brilliant goal from former United player Anthony Elanga.
Ruben Amorim’s side responded well and nearly equalised when Diogo Dalot found Bruno Fernandes in the box, but his header was directed straight at Matz Sels.
Despite maintaining decent possession, United remained vulnerable to Forest’s quick transitions, a pattern that defined the first half.
The second half saw further struggles, with careless moments in possession and limited chances created. In a late tactical switch, Amorim introduced Harry Maguire as an emergency centre-forward.
Maguire came closest to rescuing a point for United, but his effort was cleared off the line, ensuring Forest claimed all three points.
Amorim makes feelings clear about United midfield duo vs Forest
Despite some positive signs throughout the game, there were still clear and obvious issues for the Reds in different areas of the pitch.
United started Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte in centre-midfield for this game, with Fernandes moving further forward into the no.10 roles.
However, the issues in midfield were extremely evident. Ugarte, in particular, had a poor first half and was replaced at half-time, with Amorim clearly unhappy with his impact.
The Uruguayan midfielder looks like he struggles with the ball at times and that was clear in this game. As the deepest midfielder, there are major question marks over his ability to conduct play in a dominant United side.
Meanwhile, Casemiro was better than his partner, with some inventive passes in the game, but he was also wasteful at times and physically beaten too often.
Amorim also had to bring the Brazilian off early in the second half after he was close to being sent off for a second bookable offence.
Will Casemiro or Ugarte be part of a successful United side?
Casemiro cost United £70 million from Real Madrid in 2022 while Ugarte was around £50 million from Paris Saint-Germain last summer.
The midfield pair cost £120 million but were both substituted in this game, and that almost showcases the lack of trust from Amorim for both of them.
Fernandes has been moved deeper to control things in the midfield but that is something you expect of the deepest man in the engine room. The club captain cannot do it all.
In the long-term, there are major doubts over whether either of them will be important players for the team if they are to be successful and that is a concerning thing when you look at the money involved.
With an important summer transfer window coming up, there would be no surprises to see United targeting two starting midfield players. They need to.
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