Ruben Amorim is once again left with more questions than answers after Man Utd’s latest defeat, but he has a straightforward answer to one question at least.
Man Utd’s 0-1 loss to Everton is damning in more ways than one, since David Moyes’ side played with ten men for more than an hour.
Somehow, they were still the team that showed more fight and urgency, something which Ruben Amorim admitted after the game.
In a team full of underperformers, however, there was one player who still stuck out like a sore thumb, and he needs replacing with a player Amorim admitted he played ‘too soon’ before.
Chido Obi of Manchester United in action during a first team training session as part of their pre-season tour of the USA at Endeavor Health Performance Center on August 02, 2025
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Ruben Amorim needs to make Joshua Zirkzee decision
Benjamin Sesko’s injury was always going to pose some uncomfortable questions for Amorim, and Matheus Cunha’s absence in the lead-up to the Everton game added to it.
There was only one option for Amorim, which was to bring in Joshua Zirkzee from the cold against a physical Everton side.
That is what he did, and it went along expected lines, as Zirkzee was bullied throughout the game and was wasteful with the chances he did get.
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Zirkzee has had one foot out of the exit door this season, and Amorim already thinks he’s not a natural striker.
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This performance against Everton won’t do him any favours in changing Amorim’s verdict on him.
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The Man Utd manager has shown a puzzling stubbornness this season to stick with underperforming players, but if Zirkzee is not the future of the club, he shouldn’t be the present.
Amorim must bring Chido Obi back to first-team fold
It can be argued that Chido Obi should have been the first choice to replace Sesko from the off, but now that Zirkzee has been given his chance, it’s becoming clearer than ever.
Obi was recently brought back down to earth by Amorim as he admitted that the player’s minutes last season came too soon and weren’t earned.
However, since last season, Obi has become a different player by grinding it out with the U21s, improving other facets of his game to become a more rounded threat.
More importantly, Amorim clearly likes a more physical presence up front in the form of a more traditional centre-forward, which is more like Obi than Zirkzee.
With the January window just more than a month away, it’s not even known if Zirkzee will be a Man Utd player by February.
Even if he is, the way his form is trending means he’s not likely to be a United player by this time next season, while Obi is the future.
If the senior players aren’t performing, then you might as well invest in the future, with the hope that the present becomes a bit brighter as well.