Owen Hargreaves believes Ruben Amorim will regret his decision to substitute Bruno Fernandes during the 3-2 defeat to Nottingham Forest and feels Amad Diallo is the only ‘undroppable’ attacking player for Manchester United.
Amorim’s side were behind after just two minute at Old Trafford as Nikola Milenkovic put Forest in front with a header from a corner. Rasmus Hojlund then pulled United level before Morgan Gibbs-White put Forest back in front with a low shot that Andre Onana should have saved.
A mix-up between Onana and Lisandro Martinez then allowed Chris Wood to score Forest’s third goal of the game before Fernandes pulled another one back for United in the 61st minute.
With United pushing for an equaliser, Amorim made the surprise decision to substitute Fernandes for Mason Mount with 14 minutes remaining, however, the hosts were unable to find a third goal.
‘I was amazed he went off,’ Hargreaves said of Fernandes after the game during his analysis for Premier League Productions.
‘He created a goal, scored another, and for some reason at the crucial part of the game when you need a goal you take him off?
‘If anything he’s the guy right now, him and Amad, are the two where you’d say they’re going to create you something.
‘I’m guessing he’ll probably regret that because I thought Bruno was the one guy, everything was running through him.’
Hargreaves’ fellow pundit, former West Ham, Tottenham and England striker Jermain Defoe, added: ‘Everything goes through him, even with the goal there, Hojlund’s goal, you can see that he’s [Fernandes] is coaching it, that must be massive for a manager.
‘That’s why when he came off we were surprised, why’s he taking him off? We couldn’t understand.’
Meanwhile, Hargreaves believes Amorim is yet to finalise his strongest United side but believes Amad has already shown enough to warrant a start in attack.
‘I was surprised Mazrouri didn’t play, I think he’s been Man United’s best player this season, but he probably wanted to give someone else an opportunity,’ Hargreaves said.
‘Luke Shaw came back and now he’s back out, so he hasn’t been able to find a settled team.
‘I do think his team in the end will be Mazraoui, Yoro, Martinez, I think that’ll be his back three.
‘Mainoo was in there, he hasn’t had a settled back three, he hasn’t had a settled midfield two, and at the top of the pitch he’s rotating. I think he’s trying to find who is going to fit in this formation.’
Asked if Rashford gets a place in Amorim’s best side at United, Hargreaves replied: ‘I think he’s an option but none of the boys at the top of the pitch are undroppable outside of Amad maybe.’
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