Rúben Amorim must drop one Manchester United star against Man City this weekend following an abysmal display against Nottingham Forest on Tuesday evening.
Manchester United suffered their 13th Premier League defeat of the campaign, falling 1-0 to Nottingham Forest at The City Ground on Tuesday evening after Anthony Elanga’s early strike proved decisive.
United began brightly, with Bruno Fernandes quickly testing Forest’s resolve, but it was former United forward Elanga who stole the spotlight. Just five minutes in, he raced the length of the pitch before coolly slotting the ball past André Onana.
Rúben Amorim’s side gradually settled into the game, steadily gaining control as the first half progressed. However, despite increased possession and several promising moves, they couldn’t find a way past Matz Sels in the Forest goal.
At half-time, Amorim looked to alter the flow of the match by introducing Rasmus Højlund in place of Manuel Ugarte, but clear-cut opportunities remained elusive. Forest, disciplined and well-organised under Nuno Espírito Santo, effectively neutralised United’s attacks throughout the second period.
United pushed hard for an equaliser, with Mason Mount notably coming close in the closing stages, yet Forest stood firm. A remarkable stoppage-time goal-line clearance from Murillo epitomised the hosts’ resilience, ensuring they secured another significant victory at home and condemning Amorim’s side to leave empty-handed once again.
Garnacho had an abysmal display vs Forest
There is no sugar-coating it – Alejandro Garnacho was abysmal against Forest. The player had six shots on the night but failed to put any of them on target, which frustrated fans.
Although the stats say he created five chances, none of these felt of particular importance. The player had 82 touches of the ball, including eight in Forest’s box, but he felt entirely ineffective in attack.
The 20-year-old crossed the ball on seven occasions but failed to find a man on any of them, losing nine of his 13 attempted duels on the night.
The moment that sums up his performance the most is when he was called offside in the second half, which was an error on his part, before throwing a fit in anger and booting the ball away, earning himself a yellow card.
Amorim must drop Garnacho vs Man City
With the Forest fixture now behind United, Amorim will be looking ahead to a crunch Premier League clash at Old Trafford against cross-town rivals Manchester City.
Although they only played together for 45 minutes, Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte looked good in the middle of the park, with United playing some good football with the ball at their feet, meaning Fernandes can be left further forward against City.
With Zirkzee likely to continue in the side, Amorim must look to drop Garnacho on the Sunday afternoon fixture and replace him with Højlund up front.
This would allow Zirkzee to drop back into one of the two attacking midfield positions where he has looked much better in recent months.
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