2 chances created, 5 final third passes, 1 assist: United super sub sends timely reminder to Amorim of his true qualities

Manchester United came back from a goal down to claim a point against fierce rivals Leeds United away at Elland Road on Sunday. With the pressure on him, Ruben Amorim opted to start conservatively, dropping Joshua Zirkzee to the bench despite his goal against Wolves last time out. It was clear from his approach that without the services of his best attackers, the head coach wanted desperately to return to Manchester with a point to their name while playing his brand of football. He was forced to throw his plans out of the window when the home side took the lead in the 62nd minute. Joshua Zirkzee changed the game No sooner did the ball go in, that the Portuguese tactician went to four at the back, while bringing on an extra striker in the form of Joshua Zirkzee. And that change worked almost instantaneously, as the visitors equalised within three minutes with the Dutchman grabbing the assist. His perfectly weighted through ball found Matheus Cunha, who slotted home. The ex-Bologna ace could have grabbed a couple more assists, but both chances he created went abegging. In his 27-minute cameo, the Netherlands international completed 14 passes with five of them being balls played into the final third. Minutes played27 Goals0 Assists1 Total shots0 Accurate passes14/20 (70%) Chances created2 Expected assists (xA)0.15 xG + xA0.15 Fantasy points4 Defensive contributions0 Touches22 Touches in opposition box1 Passes into final third5 Accurate long balls0/2 (0%) Dispossessed0 Tackles0 Blocks0 Clearances0 Interceptions0 Recoveries0 Dribbled past0 Ground duels won0/1 (0%) Aerial duels won1/2 (50%) Was fouled0 Fouls committed1 match stats via fotmob He had 22 touches in total, with one of them being inside the opposition box (all stats via fotmob). Playing two strikers in close proximity really pushed Leeds back, who did not know whether to stay off the super sub or press him. Sends timely message to Amorim The 24-year-old evaded almost all challenges with ease, holding the ball up really well, while his creativity shone through as kept playing cute through balls. Given he keeps getting linked with a move back to Italy, the United No.11 seemed to send a timely reminder to Amorim of his qualities. Surely, he can find use for Joshua Zirkzee beyond January. Given how thinly stretched the squad is, keeping the versatile forward onboard seems to be the best possible avenue, especially after missing out on Antoine Semenyo. The head coach now knows how best to use him, but whether he will tweak his system again for the next game against Burnley remains to be seen. Feature image Molly Darlington via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Ayantan Chowdhury After failing to become a professional footballer, Ayantan switched to the next best thing: writing about the greatest football club in the world. He has extensive sports journalism experience, having worked for over 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25