Gary Neville has hinted that Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim may not be fond of two of his strikers, following the club’s latest disappointing performance.
Since arriving from Sporting Lisbon in November, Amorim, 40, has struggled to establish consistency at Old Trafford. Out of his 19 matches in charge, United have suffered defeat eight times, with their latest setback coming in a 2-0 home loss to Crystal Palace. The defeat left the Red Devils in 13th place, a staggering 14 points behind the Premier League’s top four.
Amorim made a surprising tactical decision by benching both of his recognized strikers, Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund, opting instead to deploy Kobbie Mainoo as a false nine. However, this experiment proved ineffective, as Crystal Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mateta capitalized with a brace. Even when Zirkzee and Hojlund were introduced in the second half, they failed to make a meaningful impact.
In the aftermath of the match, Neville voiced his concerns over Amorim’s team selection, suggesting that the Portuguese coach may not have confidence in his striking options.
“It’s one of two things,” Neville explained on The Gary Neville Podcast. “Either he’s experimenting to find a system he likes, or he simply doesn’t rate the strikers he has at his disposal.”
Neville admitted that he had expected Bruno Fernandes or Alejandro Garnacho to play up front instead. “When I saw Kobbie Mainoo leading the line, I knew everything had to be perfect for it to work. From Crystal Palace’s perspective, they must have welcomed that decision because United had no real goal threat.”
He continued, “I’m not saying Hojlund would have scared them, but at least he provides a physical presence. Zirkzee is a big lad as well. These players might not be world-class, but I just couldn’t see how United were going to score. Where were the goals supposed to come from?”
Both Zirkzee and Hojlund have struggled to find form this season. The Dutch forward has managed just three Premier League goals, while the Danish striker has netted only twice in league play.
United had been seeking attacking reinforcements in the January transfer window, with Bayern Munich’s Mathys Tel heavily linked to a move. However, Tel ultimately signed for Tottenham, leaving United with only the additions of wing-back Patrick Dorgu and defender Ayden Heaven.
Despite Amorim’s apparent reservations about his strikers, Neville insisted that the manager has no choice but to rely on the players currently available to him.
“He won’t be enjoying this period, but he has to simplify things,” Neville stated. “Even if he doesn’t rate Hojlund or Zirkzee, he needs to work with what he has. He can’t keep making drastic changes—it’s time to settle on a team and a system.”
The former United captain also delivered a damning verdict on Amorim’s tenure so far, pointing out that the club has lost five of its last seven home league matches. With United’s struggles mounting, Neville predicted further difficulties ahead, warning that the team’s ongoing woes could impact next season as well.
“I genuinely thought things would improve when Amorim arrived,” Neville admitted. “I expected the players to buy into his system and for results to take a positive turn. Instead, it’s been the opposite—it’s gotten worse. That’s really surprising.”
Looking ahead, Neville believes that unless results change quickly, United’s long-term prospects will be at risk.
“There’s going to be more pain before the end of the season, and that’s going to have lasting effects. Amorim will likely remain in charge, but the more United lose, the harder it will be for him to gain the players’ trust.”
He elaborated, “When players don’t believe in a system and keep facing criticism, it only worsens morale. Fans are already leaving the stadium disappointed. If the losses continue, the squad could lose faith entirely, which would have damaging consequences for the start of next season.”
Despite the grim outlook, Neville acknowledged that Amorim remains committed to his philosophy. “He can’t abandon his approach now—he’s put everything into it. But the numbers don’t lie. He’s lost more games at Manchester United in his short time here than he did in his last 75 matches with Sporting.”
Manchester United will have an opportunity to bounce back when they host Leicester City in the FA Cup fourth round on Friday.
