It was a bad day at the office for a number of players in Manchester United colors in the side's 3-2 loss to Nottingham Forest, and Mark Goldbridge singled out the three attacking substitutes, Marcus Rashford, Joshua Zirkzee and Mason Mount, who failed to make an impact.
The Red Devils squandered a chance at redemption from their midweek loss against Arsenal, instead sustaining a surprise defeat at the hands of the Tricky Trees on Saturday. Despite having dominated possession for prolonged periods, Ruben Amorim's men couldn't make their chances count and the result leaves the side languishing in 13th in the table.
Goldbridge: Three United Substitutes 'Offered Nothing'
Fans expected the attacking trio to turn the game around in the dying embers
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After Chris Wood netted a third for the visitors, a desperate Amorim turned to star wide man, Rashford, in the hopes of turning the 3-1 scoreline around. Bruno Fernandes later reduced the deficit to one, and the manager then opted to introduce Mount and Zirkzee into the fold to support the attack. However, the three attacking substitutes mustered a combined total of just one shot altogether during their time on the pitch.
An infuriated Goldbridge took to YouTube to share his perspective on the trio, who are currently earning a combined £665k per week in wages:
“Rashford, Zirkzee, Mount, they offered nothing. I’m not saying they were worse than the players that they replaced, but you’re meant to come off the bench saying ‘I wanna play’.
“Maguire was alright when he came on, I’ll give him that, but the rest of them, rubbish.”
After they both scored braces in United's 4-0 thrashing of Everton at the start of December, some may have thought Rashford and Zirkzee would be able to pick up some scoring form in the key fixture run that lay ahead. However, neither of the two have started in the two games that followed the tie.
Rashford vs Zirkzee vs Mount - 2024/25 Premier League statistics
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Meanwhile, Mount is yet to register a single goal or assist in 11 outings across all competitions this term, and his all-round performances are yet to justify his place in the team.
The defeat will reinforce the perspective of there still being plenty of work to be done as part of Amorim's rebuild project. Changes are expected within the squad itself, but it is vital for the likes of Rashford, Zirkzee and Mount to offer something meaningful going forward given their hefty wage asks and values. Without them, United will have little chance of salvaging something from what has been a poor season thus far.
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Statistics courtesy of FBRef.com - Correct as of 08/12/2024