Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has been blasted for making one “massive mistake” as his side were beaten 2-0 by Newcastle United on Monday night.

The Red Devils were dealt a fresh blow on Monday night as they were beaten 2-0 at home by Newcastle, who deserved to win via a grander scoreline.

Under new head coach Amorim, Man Utd have lost six of their previous eleven matches in all competitions. This form leaves them only seven points clear of the relegation zone.

Amorim was appointed as Erik ten Hag’s replacement in November but is already under pressure as one of the Premier League sack race leaders.

The 39-year-old is facing immense difficulties while trying to implement his preferred 3-4-3 system. His decision to select veteran pair Casemiro and Christian Eriksen as his pairing in central midfield pairing quickly backfired against Newcastle as he made changes before half-time.

Former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel thinks it was a “massive mistake” to select Casemiro – who has reportedly ‘agreed’ a move to the Saudi Pro League – and Eriksen as they were “awful to watch”.

“There’s no way, and I hope this never happens again, that you see Casemiro and Eriksen play in the midfield for Manchester United,” he said on the Obi One Podcast.

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“Who is going to run for who? If you’re a 30-something-year-old midfield player or a player, you need a younger player beside you who can compensate because you don’t have the legs to run anymore.”

“You need a young player, fresh legs, energetic, who is going to be able to cover that ground for you.

“When you have those two, who is going to help who? Who is going to run for who? So for me, it’s a massive, massive mistake, it’s awful to watch.”

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On Casemiro, he added: “Listen, brilliant players have talked about it. We’ve all said it: Casemiro is a fantastic player, he’s played for Real Madrid, he’s won so much, he’s been an absolutely fantastic servant for football, he done everything.

“But when your legs are gone, your legs are gone. There’s nothing else you can do, especially in the Premier League. You will get found out.”

Despite this, Obi Mikel has backed Amorim to get it right at Man Utd as his current squad is “nowhere near good enough”.

“Even if you’re not a United fan, it’s awful to watch them. They’re horrendous. Newcastle would’ve been 3-0 up in 20 minutes. It was a disaster,” Obi Mikel continued.

“Listen, it’s not the manager’s fault at all. Ruben Amorim is a fantastic and brilliant young manager.

“I’ve said it when he came into the club – the players in United, I’m sorry, they are nowhere near good enough to be playing for Manchester United.”

Arsenal and Manchester United have been dealt a potential blow as Aston Villa are set to hold ‘talks’ over a ‘swap deal’ with Paris Saint-Germain.

Several Premier League clubs are understood to be in the market for a new striker this month and this has fuelled reports linking Randal Kolo Muani with a move to Arsenal or Man Utd.

The 26-year-old was on the radar of English teams after he shone for Eintracht Frankfurt during the 2022/23 campaign, scoring 23 goals in his 46 appearances.

PSG fended off competition from rivals to sign Kolo Muani, investing around £76m to sign the forward from the Bundesliga outfit.

His move to PSG has not gone to plan, though. Kolo Muani has only been a bit-part player for the Ligue Un giants and has scored eleven goals in his 54 outings.

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Aston Villa star Jhon Duran has been in much better form this season after he came close to leaving the Premier League club in the summer.

The 21-year-old is behind England international Ollie Watkins in the pecking order at Villa Park, but he’s made the most of his opportunities, scoring 12 goals in his 26 appearances.

Duran’s stunning form leaves Aston Villa at risk of losing the forward in January or next summer and a report from Football Insider claims they are ‘set for talks’ with PSG over a ‘sensational cash-plus-player swap deal’.

‘Sources have already told Football Insider that the likes of Man United and RB Leipzig are among the potential suitors for PSG attacker in the January transfer window.

‘Now, another potential destination has emerged for the 26-year-old at Villa Park, in a move that could see another big name head in the opposite direction.

‘It is understood that PSG are due to hold a meeting with the Premier League side next week over a potential swap deal involving Kolo Muani and Jhon Duran.’

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Aston Villa also have their eye on alternative targets as it’s emerged they have failed with a bid to sign Borussia Dortmund forward Donyell Malan. 

Dortmund sporting director Sebastien Kehl has addressed Aston Villa’s interest in Malan, admitting it is “not at all surprising” that they face a fight to keep the Netherlands international.

“Donny is an important player for us and has been our top scorer for the past two seasons,” Kehl said.

“It is not at all surprising to me that his qualities are arousing interest in the market. Nevertheless, he has great value for us.”

A new report has revealed a new ‘factor’ behind Marcus Rashford’s omission as Ruben Amorim ‘heard’ the Manchester United star had a ‘night out’ pre-Everton.

Rashford has been heavily criticised for his performances and attitude over the past 18 months as he’s dramatically declined since scoring 30 goals in all competitions during the 2022/23 campaign.

Initially, Amorim’s arrival appeared to benefit the Man Utd forward, who scored three goals in two games against Ipswich Town and Everton.

However, the England international was subsequently restricted to cameo appearances off the bench against Arsenal and Nottingham Forest.

Amorim then ruthlessly omitted Rashford from his squad for the Manchester derby on December 15. A few days later, he revealed his desire to leave his boyhood club in 2025.

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Rashford was out of the picture for four matches before he was an unused substitute in the 2-0 loss to Newcastle United on Monday night. This result leaves them only seven points clear of the relegation zone. 

Speaking on Friday, Amorim revealed why Rashford will not be involved when Man Utd face Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.

“It’s the same situation, at the moment he is ill,” Amorim said.

“He is not training. We will see in the future but this is like a normal player, then I make a selection. So, it’s the same.

“I think he is going to be out, this week he is out. We will see but I think this week he is out.”

A report from The Athletic has revealed that Amorim and Rashford had a ‘conversation’ after it emerged that the player had a ‘night out’ shortly before United’s match against Everton.

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The report explains:

‘It was a conversation with Ruben Amorim at the start of December that goes some way to explaining why Marcus Rashford has been absent from the Manchester United side for the past five matches.

‘United had just beaten Everton 4-0, with Rashford scoring two of the goals in a vibrant display on Sunday, December 1. But after that game, Amorim heard the forward had been out in Manchester on the Friday night, November 29, less than 48 hours before Everton’s visit to Old Trafford.

‘The United head coach does not want his players in bars so close to games and asked Rashford about his movements. The England international assured Amorim he had been misinformed about a late night.

‘Three days later, however, Rashford was left out of the starting line-up for the trip to Arsenal. While rotation was at play, those questions over his social life were also a factor in Amorim’s decision.’

It is also noted that Rashford’s training performance before Man City was ‘lacklustre’ as he ‘appeared fatigued’, while he ‘does not feel be behaves differently’ from other Premier League stars.

‘It is a complicated situation, but one thing seems clear: Rashford’s prospects of an imminent return to favour under Amorim look bleak.

‘Two days later, on Saturday, December 14, in the final training session before facing Manchester City the following afternoon, Rashford put in a lacklustre display at United’s Carrington base, according to multiple sources, some of whom said he appeared fatigued.

‘Claims circulated Rashford had gone out the night before — on the Friday, 48 hours before the game — with accounts reaching people at United. This, however, is strenuously denied by people close to the player. Rashford is also known to feel he does not behave differently from other Premier League footballers but faces much more scrutiny over his social life.’