‘Impossible’ – Shearer sends warning to Manchester United duo after first game under Ruben Amorim

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·25 de novembro de 2024

‘Impossible’ – Shearer sends warning to Manchester United duo after first game under Ruben Amorim

Alan Shearer fears for Manchester United midfield duo Casemiro and Christian Eriksen and says it will be ‘nigh on impossible’ for them to perform under new head coach Ruben Amorim.

While that seems a tad extreme, neither Casemiro or Eriksen coated themselves in glory during United’s 1-1 draw with Ipswich Town. It was Ruben Amorim’s first game in charge and it ended with a disappointing result as the Reds dropped more points in the Premier League.

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Marcus Rashford opened the scoring after two minutes, but United were unable to hold onto their lead.

“Amorim obviously changed the system, he went to his favoured three at the back,” Shearer said on The Rest is Football podcast.

“I was thinking ‘here we go’ when they scored early but they failed to kick on. It was very much like what we’ve seen all season.

“Ipswich more than deserved to get a point because [Andre] Onana pulled off a couple of incredible saves.

“He’s got a really big job on his hands and it’s going to take a lot of time. You can’t judge him after one game, he’s going to need the rest of the season to implement his style.

“They need new players in there, there’s no doubt, they need some more legs and improving in the forward positions.

“For a start he’s got an ageing midfield. He played Casemiro and Eriksen in there today, it would be nigh on impossible for those two to do what Amorim wants in terms of the pressing and the high energy and the running and everything else.

“He’s going to need this season so sort things out. They spend a lot of money in the summer but they’re not going to get the rewards for that.

“He will need the rest of the season to get things done, it’s going to take time.”

Not completely over for Manchester United duo

(Photo by Steve Bardens/Getty Images)

It seems ridiculous to rule out Casemiro and Eriksen completely from Amorim’s plans because they could still play a role in the team this season, albeit in a different midfield partnership or role. Nothing was said about Casemiro’s future when he was performing well under Ruud van Nistelrooy as caretaker manager.

That said, both players are likely to be on the move next summer.

Amorim explained his reason for starting Casemiro and Eriksen in midfield at Portman Road because he worked with those players in training during the week prior to the game, while others were away on international duty. It was a valid excuse but it won’t water in a few weeks when the new head coach has more time with his squad.

As a midfield combination, fans will argue that Casemiro and Eriksen don’t complement each other because their legs are gone. They need to be partnered by a more energetic option which makes Kobbie Mainoo’s return timely. On another note, Manuel Ugarte will be back in the team next week. He was away on international duty in South America last week.