Ruben Amorim has been urged to drop one Manchester United star in the Europa League final against Tottenham Hotspur later this month.
Manchester United secured their place in the Europa League final after winning their two-legged semi-final against Athletic Club earlier this month.
However, Ruben Amorim’s men returned to earth with a 2-0 defeat to West Ham in the Premier League on the weekend. Their problems are much bigger than potential European success this term.
That loss meant that United dropped to 16th in the league, and once again, they were absolutely toothless up front. Rasmus Hojlund somehow failed to score from two yards out when it looked harder to miss.
The Danish striker has four Premier League goals this season and was labelled as “terrible” against The Hammers on Sunday afternoon.
Yet, with Joshua Zirkzee injured and Chido Obi ineligible to play in the Europa League, he is one of the players who seem nailed on to start the final against Spurs.
Amorim urged to drop Hojlund for Europa League final
Despite the lack of alternatives, former Premier League midfielder Michael Brown has called for Amorim to drop Hojlund for the final and instead start an extra midfielder in the team.
Amorim has previously tested Kobbie Mainoo as a false-nine but the experiment was unsuccessful. Bruno Fernandes has also played in a similar kind of position before but is currently so crucial for United’s deeper play.
“I think we have to understand that he’s still young and still learning and in a side that has obviously been very inconsistent, but he’s got to get better,” Brown said of Hojlund on The Football News Show.
“I think I’d be saying is, ‘How do you affect the game? How do we know you’re there? Is it physical presence, is it pressing, is it hold up play, is it scoring a goal, is it creating?’
“He just not really doing enough and when you come to the final, I’d possibly not play him – you’ll find another answer.
“I think there’s other players, that extra player in midfield. His place is in a little bit of doubt and he has to perform very quickly.”
United fans lack belief in Hojlund
On paper, it is an unthinkable decision to drop Hojlund against Spurs – he is quite literally the only centre-forward available for selection.
However, the fact that it is an argument someone can make at this point says it all about the 22-year-old’s performance levels.
Despite being poor all season, his display against West Ham might have been up there with his worst of the season. He cannot hold the ball up against Premier League defenders.
We have seen him have some success in the Europa League due to his physical advantages over the opponents, but Spurs’ defence will be much tougher for him to deal with.
It still feels unlikely that Amorim drops him for that game and hopefully he comes up with a better performance, but there are not many United fans left with the belief that will happen.
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