Manchester United suffered another defeat, this time at Nottingham Forest, with Patrick Dorgu copping particular criticism as Martin O'Neil singled out his display
Comments
Sport
Martin O'Neill has been scathing about Man Utd and their wing-back
Martin O'Neill has been scathing about Man Utd and their wing-back
Martin O'Neill claims he could've played to the same level as Patrick Dorgu during Manchester United's latest defeat - despite being north of 70. The Red Devils resumed Premier League action but suffered another loss, this time at Nottingham Forest.
Anthony Elanga's first-half strike was enough to settle the game against his former club as Ruben Amorim's difficult tenure continued at the City Ground. Dorgu is currently the only signing he has made with the ex-Leece man capable of playing the wing-back role that features in the manager's system.
Article continues below
Dorgu though, who cost just shy of £30million, has yet to have the desired impact, either in attack of defensively. His contributions were called out by O'Neill following the loss in Nottingham with the former player, now aged 73, claiming he could've replicated Dorgu's efforts.
He told TNT Sports: "They had Dorgu playing tonight. I could have done what he did! He's wide left-hand side, he's got the ball and you're saying: 'Come on! Your job is to take players on. Get at them!' He's laid it inside three times in the first 10 minutes of the second half... to the opposition! Maybe it's no confidence, I don't know what it is. But these type of things are all over the field for Manchester United."
O'Neill during his playing days did win two European Cups, both of those in Nottingham under Brian Clough, but has been retired for nearly 40 years with his comments a damning reflection of the Dane.
READ MORE: Bruno Fernandes and fellow Man Utd stars 'all up for sale' as club icon makes situation clearREAD MORE: 5 players Man Utd let go far too early as Anthony Elanga comes back to haunt them
The loss leaves United on course for a worst ever Premier League showing. They sit 13th with a clash to come this Sunday against Manchester City. They've already lost 13 times and O'Neill claimed their squad is nowhere near good enough to be in contention for the top four.
He said: "They [Man United] have some really good players. Obviously, Bruno Fernandes is a top-quality player. But they haven't enough good players to be a threat in this league. And when I say a threat for Manchester United, I'm talking about getting into the top four."
Patrick Dorgu has struggled to have an impact in Manchester
Patrick Dorgu has struggled to have an impact in Manchester
Amorim's frustration was evident at full-time with United dominating many of the key stats, albeit they were unable to score the goal that would've salvaged a point. Their coach even went as far as to say the visitors "helped" Forest claim the victory.
"We controlled the game, but we already knew this team (Forest) can score goals out of nothing," He said post-match. "When they scored we changed the game a little bit from what they want. We need to win games and we deserved more in this game, that is clear, but it is our fault and we need to be better in the last third. We should have won this game, not even drawn, but in the end we have lost three points.
"We know the characters of the team and one goal can put them in one situation they love. We have to score two goals to win a match and that is frustrating as it was the beginning of the game. We helped them to win three points."
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.