“Irrelevant to the team”: Ruthless Michael Owen rips into three United stars for costly blunder in Leeds loss

Former Manchester United forward Michael Owen has taken a swipe at Bruno Fernandes, Amad and Benjamin Sesko for their role in one of Leeds United’s goals on Monday evening. Defeated A timid and uninspiring United side were punished by Leeds at Old Trafford, falling to a 2-1 loss after a lengthy 24-day layoff. Noah Okafor capitalised on woeful United defending to net twice in the first half, establishing a commanding lead for Leeds. For the first goal, Manuel Ugarte’s inability to prevent the cross and Noussair Mazraoui’s misjudgment of the ball’s flight allowed Okafor to slot calmly home beyond Senne Lammens. Okafor was at it again at the half-hour mark, this time volleying the ball into the back of the net after United repeatedly failed to clear their lines. Things worsened for United when Lisandro Martinez was sent off in the early stages of the second half for pulling Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s hair. Casemiro pulled one back for United and despite a late onslaught, Leeds held on for all three points. Though controversial refereeing decisions dominated the post-match discussion, Michael Carrick conceded that United’s slow start also played a part. Speaking on Premier League Productions, Owen highlighted Fernandes, Amad and Sesko as the players to blame for Okafor’s second of the evening. Owen’s remarks Owen said, “There are only seven Man Utd players who can [affect] things.” “Sesko needs to come back in, Amad half-heartedly enters the picture but does nothing, and Fernandes is still lying down” “That is three players who are irrelevant to the team. You can’t be defending with just seven players. Every time they clear it out [of] the box, Leeds just put it back in.” Owen added, “Man United are hard to beat nowadays.” “This is a big result for Leeds. Probably the one they didn’t budget on. If they could have squeezed a point out of this, then they would have snapped your hand off before the game.” “To get three is very nearly job done for them.” United are next in action on Saturday when they go away to Chelsea. Featured image Michael Regan 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 Derick Kinoti Derick Kinoti is a football writer at The Peoples Person who has covered Manchester United and the Premier League extensively for years. His work blends sharp analysis, tactical insight, and engaging storytelling that resonates with fans around the world. Derick has gained valuable experience in football journalism, developing strong expertise in SEO writing, digital content creation, and social media engagement. A tech enthusiast with a Computer Science degree from the University of Nairobi, he ultimately swapped code for football commentary, bringing an analytical, detail-oriented approach to his writing. Derick is convinced Wayne Rooney is the true GOAT and won’t hear otherwise!