Manchester United players looked far from “mad dogs” as they suffered defeat to Nottingham Forest.
It was all bark and no bite as Manchester United lost 3-2 at Old Trafford.
Set pieces have been an issue for United this season and after conceding twice from corners against Arsenal midweek, Forest scored from their first of the game just two minutes in.
Rasmus Hojlund continued his strong run of form and Bruno Fernandes also added to his goal tally, but United were unable to answer Forest’s quickfire double in the second half.
Ruben Amorim has called for patience after the defeat, but United are slumped in 13th in the Premier League table and there are plenty of issues for the Portuguese to solve.
Ruben Amorim, Head Coach of Manchester United, gestures during the Premier League match between Manchester United FC and Nottingham Forest FC at Ol...
Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images
Ruben Amorim wants Man United to ‘run like mad dogs’
After his first defeat at Arsenal, Ruben Amorim’s eyes were opened to the size of the task ahead of him.
Ahead of the Forest clash, Amorim demanded United ‘run like mad dogs’ if they ever plan on winning the Premier League.
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It is not the first time that the workrate of United’s squad has been questioned, with Amorim previously pointing out that players need to track back more than they did under previous managers.
Joshua Zirkzee’s workrate was recently questioned, while Marcus Rashford’s body language was criticised by Jody Morris.
Amorim has his hands full trying to convey his 3-4-3 system to his new players – a lack of effort from the squad is simply unacceptable.
Gary Neville highlights Man United terrible running stat
Club legend Gary Neville is among those who have criticised United’s workrate in recent years.
He has now highlighted one stat which shows that United are far from the “mad dogs” that Amorim demands.
Speaking on NBC Sports, Neville said: “No good team is ever a good team without hard work. Manchester United are 13th in the league and their running stats, their distance covered, is 16th in the league.
“You don’t deserve anything if you’re being outrun every single week.
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“To me, the worst thing that can be said about you is that you’re not a hard-working player or you’re not a hard-working team.
“When I interviewed Amorim a few weeks ago, the first thing he said is that he wants to change the athleticism of the squad, he’s basically saying they’re not fit enough.”
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