Manchester United suffered a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Tuesday night, and Ruben Amorim was once again visibly frustrated with his players' performance.
The Red Devils had chances to equalise after conceding early to their academy graduate Anthony Elanga but were wasteful in front of goal, despite registering 23 shots compared to the hosts’ eight.
According to Manchester Evening News journalist Steven Railston, Amorim was particularly concerned with Joshua Zirkzee’s performance right from the outset.
The Portuguese manager was reportedly seen shouting at the Dutchman ‘in an animated fashion’ just moments after kick-off as he kept urging him to play in a more advanced role.
Amorim Seen Shouting at Joshua Zirkzee
During Nottingham Forest 1-0 Man United
Joshua Zirkzee-1
According to Railston, Amorim was unhappy with Zirkzee’s positioning in the first half, after the striker was given a rare start at centre-forward in place of Rasmus Hojlund.
The Portuguese coach appeared to regret his decision early on, as Zirkzee continued to drop into deeper areas, having grown familiar with playing in one of the No. 10 roles in recent weeks.
Amorim introduced Hojlund at half-time in place of Manuel Ugarte and shifted Bruno Fernandes into a deeper role, which allowed Zirkzee to return to his more familiar position in the second half.
However, the Dutch striker struggled against Forest overall, failing to register a shot on target, making just 31 touches, completing 19 of 26 passes and losing possession 10 times.
He has yet to score a Premier League goal for United in 2025, with his last strike coming in the 4-0 win over Everton on December 1.
Joshua Zirkzee's Man United Stats (2024/25 Premier League)
Games
Goals
Assists
Minutes per goal
Minutes played
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Statistics courtesy ofTransfermarkt. Correct as of 0 2 -04-25.