Manchester United were blunt in the final third in their 1-0 defeat by Nottingham Forest - and manager Ruben Amorim had telling words for winger Alejandro Garnacho
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Ruben Amorim, Manager of Manchester United
Ruben Amorim was once again left bemoaning his team's lack of cutting edge
(Image: Nigel French/Getty Images)
Alejandro Garnacho was guilty of “trying too much” in Manchester United’s defeat at Nottingham Forest, according to Ruben Amorim. Garnacho was United’s brightest attacking threat at the City Ground, yet finished the match with nothing to show for it as the away side slumped to a 1-0 defeat.
Anthony Elanga’s surging run and finish on the counter-attack was enough for Forest, who defended stoutly to give United a harsh lesson. Amorim’s side went close, with Diogo Dalot hitting the bar with a header from a corner and Harry Maguire having an effort cleared off the line by Murillo, but it was a frustrating night for United.
Garnacho was United’s most promising attacking outlet down the left wing, shown by his six attempts on goal, yet his decision making and end product was poor.
The 20-year-old had gone 24 games without a goal before the 3-0 win over Leicester prior to the international break and his tally of four goals and one assist in 29 Premier League games shows there is much to improve.
READ MORE: Ruben Amorim knows who is to blame after Anthony Elanga embarrassed Man UtdREAD MORE: Ruben Amorim slammed for Man Utd decision in Nottingham Forest loss - 'I don't get it'
“He’s making everything, he’s trying sometimes,” Amorim said post-match. “You have one day [where] you are doing the right things but in the final third, you are not that good. That can happen. That can happen in the game.
“The most important thing for me is when he needs to run back, he’s running back. Of course, we want a player that has one against one. Sometimes he’s trying too much, he has [Patrick] Dorgu to make a movement but I think he wants to help the team in doing his best. Sometimes he doesn’t always make the best choice but you can point to any player today.”
Garnacho did indeed show willingness to get back and try to defend for his team when Ryan Yates’ clearing header landed at the feet of Elanga early on. But the Argentina international failed to win the ball, or foul Elanga, when sliding in, while Dorgu and Noussair Mazraoui didn’t stop the ex-United forward from getting his shot off.
Alejandro Garnacho of Manchester United
Alejandro Garnacho was wasteful in the final third(Image: Robbie Jay Barratt/Getty Images)
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The fact that Elanga now has six goals and eight assists in 30 Premier League games this season – a far greater tally than Garnacho – won’t be lost on United fans. Garnacho is the first choice on the left wing in part due to the fact that United opted to send wide players Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Antony out on loan.
Defeat left United 13th and broke their four-game unbeaten run in the Premier League ahead of Sunday’s Manchester Derby. They will then travel to France to play Lyon in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final in a competition which has taken on even greater importance given their lowly league position.
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