Manchester United lost their 17th Premier League game of the season on Sunday, a 0-2 defeat at the hands of West Ham United at Old Trafford.
What was most disappointing was the manner of the defeat. Most players seemed like they did not care about the game, much like how Ruben Amorim has described league games in recent weeks.
He has made it pretty clear that his priority is the Europa League final, and while that is the most important given the stakes, proclaiming it out loud might not have been the best ploy.
Now players seem to have the excuse to not perform in the league even though each position is worth £3 million, which is a godsend at this stage for INEOS given the club’s current financial situation.
Mainoo was very poor
Most worryingly, even academy graduates also seem to not be too bothered with the results in the top-flight. One of Sunday’s biggest disappointments was Kobbie Mainoo.
The 20-year-old started in his third consecutive league game and this was by far his weakest display. He started on the right of the front three while he moved to the left in the second half before adopting a deep position in the closing stages.
The lack of a fixed role is certainly not helping, while the England international will be the first to admit his own form has been rather poor.
He finished the game with a 87 percent passing accuracy, while creating 0 chances and having 0 shots on target. The midfielder also failed to complete a single dribble in 90 minutes.
None of his crosses found their mark while he completed two out of three long balls. What was the biggest disappointment was the lack of effort he put in.
Contract demands not tallying with effort being put in
Mainoo seemed confused most of the time, whether to press or to stay. Bruno Fernandes was seen running back multiple times while the Carrington graduate lazily sauntered across the pitch, content to just watch on.
He won two tackles, and made one clearance but lost six duels while winning only three of them. The United No 37 was dribbled past once (all stats via fotmob).
He looked slow and laboured, almost like he is unfit yet he will be confident that even if he continues his poor form, at worst he will be on the bench in Bilbao.
Amorim does not have a fixed role for him yet and it is concerning, given the contract talks between the player and the club. The fact that the Englishman is asking for £180,000 per week based on these performances is also quite shocking.
The player’s camp will point to the match-winning cameos in the Europa League this season and Premier League last season but if you have to be successful at a club like United, you cannot pick and choose your moments.
Feature image Alex Livesey via Getty Images
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Ayantan Chowdhury
Ayantan has worked for 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites but his heart was always set on writing about his favourite club. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25
