Manchester United suffered their seventh defeat of the Premier League campaign following a 3-0 loss to Bournemouth at Old Trafford on Sunday.
The Red Devils lacked a cutting edge in the final third. They paid the price with the Cherries beating them at home for the second season running.
Manager Ruben Amorim continued his rotation policy with six changes yesterday, and he picked Joshua Zirkzee to lead the attack ahead of Rasmus Hojlund.
The decision did not prove worthwhile with the Dutchman being non-existent as a striking force.
He registered just four successful passes in his 19 touches. Zirkzee won only three out of seven duels contested and lost possession on 10 occasions.
Zirkzee e was partly responsible for the opening goal conceded after failing to track Dean Huijsen’s run, who had an easy header to score.
Amorim must drop him to the bench for the Boxing Day trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Zirkzee has shown signs of returning to form with three goals under Amorim, but his contribution off the ball was hugely disappointing against the Cherries.
He did not come close to scoring either, with just one shot off-target. Hojlund had a much better showing coming off the bench to replace him.
The Dane had 24 touches with 10 passes. He had two attempts on goal, with one of those being on target.
United have dropped nine points behind the guaranteed Champions League spots after Sunday’s loss. They have to respond with a strong showing on Thursday.
It won’t be an easy challenge as Wolves head into the game on the back of a 3-0 win at Leicester City. United need to produce a better defensive display against the Midlands outfit.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com & Sofascore.com.
Article written by Sri Aswin .
