Former Manchester United coach Rene Meulensteen claims Ruben Amorim needs to “find a solution” for an “invisible” Red Devils star and another struggling teammate.
Meulensteen – who was at Manchester United for 12 years, the last six of which he acted as first-team coach alongside Sir Alex Ferguson – was used to working with some of the best strikers in world football in his time at Old Trafford.
But Amorim’s current options, Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee, are not Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo or Carlos Tevez.
And Meulensteen questioned Amorim’s use of the struggling pair, who have each scored just three Premier League this term, claiming Zirkzee was “invisible” in the defeat to Nottingham Forest on Tuesday.
He told Poker Firma: “Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee aren’t working as a pair up front,” he said. “Hojlund doesn’t work by himself, nor does Zirkzee as a lone striker – he’s more of a ‘nine and a half’. I would like to see him drop deeper and link the play a bit more, but against Nottingham Forest, he was almost invisible! Ruben Amorim has to find a solution for both of them.
“Hojlund relies on service from wide areas, which he isn’t getting; he’s crying out for a ball in behind the back line, that’s what he feeds off. But United overplay too much, so by the time the cross comes in, the defenders are all behind the ball and the opportunity is gone.”
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Meulensteen also believes Antony, who is enjoying his time away from Old Trafford having left to join Real Betis on loan in January, should resist a return to United.
He added: “Antony has no future at Manchester United,” he said. “If I was him, I’d stay at Real Betis, without a doubt. He’s never really lived up to the expectations or the price tag at United, but he’s found his feet in Spain. He seems to be a lot happier playing football and in life generally at Betis – which is the most important thing.
“If he returned to Manchester, he’d fall straight back into the rut he was in before he left, which wouldn’t be good for anybody. I can’t see him returning under any circumstance; it’s probably best for all parties that he joins Betis on a permanent deal.”
Antony has managed four goals and four assists for Betis and the La Liga club are reportedly keen on signing him on a permanent deal in the summer.
But they face competition from Atletico Madrid and surprisingly (very possibly fictitiously) Arsenal, who ‘have identified the Brazilian as one of their priorities to strengthen their attack next summer’ after wiping his two Premier League seasons from their memories.