Ruben Amorim destroyed over awful 'mistake' that 'can never happen again'

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has been told his decision to pair Casemiro and Christian Eriksen in midfield against Newcastle was a “massive, massive mistake” that “can never happen again” – though a pundit has detailed exactly why the Portuguese coach is struggling to get good results at Old Trafford.

A new era at Old Trafford has gotten off to a lukewarm start with Amorim – the sixth permanent manager at Old Trafford since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013 – suffering six losses in his first 11 matches at the helm, ensuring he has made the worst start by a new manager at Manchester United in some 84 years. And with a match at runaway leaders Liverpool next on the horizon, it threatens to get worse before it gets better for the Red Devils.

The 39-year-old arrived in the north-west from Sporting CP where he had won two titles in five years. And he will now be expected to learn fast on the job, with Gary Neville even admitting he cannot be considered safe from the sack if the poor results keep on coming.

One lesson John Obi Mikel hopes Amorim learned from Monday’s chastening home defeat to Newcastle is in midfield, with Eriksen and Casemiro badly overrun by the Magpies in that area and with the former Chelsea man labelling that decision to play the experienced pair there together as a huge mistake.

“There’s no way, and I hope this never happens again, that you see Casemiro and Eriksen play in the midfield for Manchester United,” the former Chelsea midfielder said on the Obi One Podcast.

“Who is going to run for who? If you’re a 30-something-year-old midfield player or a player, you need a younger player beside you who can compensate because you don’t have the legs to run anymore.

“You need a young player, fresh legs, energetic, who is going to be able to cover that ground for you.

“When you have those two, who is going to help who? Who is going to run for who?

“So for me, it’s a massive, massive mistake, it’s awful to watch.”

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United head to Anfield down in 14th place with just a seven-point buffer to the relegation zone ahead of the Saturday games. That represents their worst start to a season since 1930.

And while Casemiro has enjoyed a tremendous career down the years, Obi Mikel fears his time at the top level may now be up.

“Listen, brilliant players have talked about it. We’ve all said it: Casemiro is a fantastic player, he’s played for Real Madrid, he’s won so much, he’s been an absolutely fantastic servant for football, he done everything,” he added.

“But when your legs are gone, your legs are gone. There’s nothing else you can do, especially in the Premier League. You will get found out.”

Despite Monday’s decision to start Casemiro alongside Eriksen, Obi Mikel is convinced Amorim will eventually prove a quality appointment for United and has blamed their current struggles down to the squad at his disposal.

“Even if you’re not a United fan, it’s awful to watch them. They’re horrendous. Newcastle would’ve been 3-0 up in 20 minutes. It was a disaster.

“Listen, it’s not the manager’s fault at all. Ruben Amorim is a fantastic and brilliant young manager.”

Pointing the blame on the squad, he added: “I’ve said it when he came into the club – the players in United, I’m sorry, they are nowhere near good enough to be playing for Manchester United.”

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Juventus, meanwhile, have reportedly formulated a plan to take Tyrell Malacia on loan for the reason of the season, with the Manchester United left-back potentially set to join another Red Devil at the Serie A side.

Malacia has almost become a ghost at Old Trafford having missed the entirety of last season and then featuring just four times so far this, after returning to the fold in November after a long injury lay-off.

Now reports in Italy claim a move to Juventus is on the cards as part of a double raid on Old Trafford.

Elsewhere, United have been heavily linked with Viktor Gyokeres, and after Amorim reportedly demanded the January signing of the Sporting CP striker, it’s said the sales of some players will be needed for them to pay for him.

One of those could end up being Marcus Rashford, whose future continues to dominate headlines.

However, a move to one country has now been entirely ruled out with the player rejecting moves to three sides.

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