Manchester United’s season reached its nadir on Wednesday night as they lost 1-0 in the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur – and striker-turned-pundit Alan Shearer slammed Ruben Amorim's ‘embarrassing’ tactical approach.
All it took was for Brennan Johnson to run towards the near post, evading pressure from Luke Shaw in the process, as a means of latching onto the end of Pape Matar Sarr’s teasing cross in the 42nd minute. The Red Devils were unable to respond.
A drab evening for those associated with the Old Trafford outfit but one full of elation for the north Londoners, it was a rather deflating performance from Amorim’s men and one that encapsulated their dull and lifeless 2024/25 campaign pretty perfectly.
Shearer Slams Amorim’s ‘Embarrassing’ Tactics vs Spurs
'Let me tell you something, Man United were an embarrassment tonight'
As he had done in previous games leading up to the final in Bilbao, Amorim – one of the best young managers in world football – threw the kitchen sink at it once the clock ticked nearer to the full-time whistle. It worked against Olympique Lyonnais when Harry Maguire rose the highest to nod home the winner.
And once again, against Spurs, the Portuguese opted to move the central defender up top as they were reduced to launching long balls and crosses into the box, all in the hope that they’d be able to salvage something from the showpiece.
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In the end, it wasn’t meant to be – and Shearer has lambasted Amorim’s decision to throw Maguire up front. “It was a really poor game, the standard was poor, but Tottenham won’t care about that,” he said on The Rest is Football podcast, as reported The Metro.
On Amorim’s system and how the current squad does not have the capacity to carry out his instructions, he continued: “They’re going to have to recruit very well because clearly a lot of these players are not good enough or not suited to that style of play.”
“Let me tell you something, Man United were an embarrassment tonight and they’re chucking a 6ft 5 centre-half up top in desperation and are lugging huge balls into the box. That’s how they’re going to get out of trouble? They’re a million miles off it on and off the pitch and I don’t know how they get out of this."
Shearer – widely regarded as one of the best strikers in Premier League history – also questioned how Amorim, 40, and his entourage are going to be able to attract world-beaters in the summer transfer window amid competition from sides in Europe.
“How do they attract top players this summer and are they even going to be able to pay for them now they’re not in the Champions League? Why would big players want to go there?” the Premier League's all-time top goalscorer concluded.
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Former Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane, in the wake of his former side’s loss on the big stage, also questioned their levels after they reverted to relying on Maguire to save them from misery. “They got lucky a few times in Europe and then tonight again, ultimately it’s not good enough,” he said, per MailOnline.
“They didn’t show enough quality. Not enough options off the bench. If you’re depending on Harry Maguire to get you out of jail, you’re in trouble.”
Luckily for the Old Trafford outfit, Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Matheus Cunha is reportedly happy to join regardless of whether Manchester United are playing in a European competition next season or not. Whether it stalls other deals remains to be seen.
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