Manchester United have been “lacklustre” under Ruben Amorim and the new head coach only has two players he can rely upon in a squad that requires a huge overhaul, according to Dwight Yorke.
United are currently 13th in the Premier League having lost six and drawn four of their 16 top flight games to date, with Amorim replacing Erik ten Hag last month as the Dutch boss failed to stop the club’s slide into mediocrity.
Amorim has won four, drawn one and lost two of his seven games across all competitions, with his zenith arriving on Sunday courtesy of a late comeback in the Manchester derby.
In a game severely lacking in quality, Amad Diallo produced a moment of magic to secure all three points for Amorim’s side, having won the penalty for Bruno Fernandes to convert moments before.
But Yorke claims that while the result was positive he doesn’t expect the win to be the moment where things turn around for United under Amorim, as they were “appalling” for the vast majority of the game.
Yorke told Sports Lens: “Let’s have it right, the City win was one good result. We needed a little pick-me-up, and we got one, but will it provide the ignition to Ruben’s rocket? I don’t think so.
“United’s decline has not happened overnight, this has happened over a long period, and a big part of it is the players who have been there. The players haven’t been good enough for several seasons now.
“They haven’t been delivering. It’s not like Amorim can get rid of them all. He can’t bring in an entire new squad, but maybe that is what United need to turn it around.
“The City win brings joy to a few faces on the day and probably for a couple after, but, again, the United performance was appalling until Nunes gave us a route back into the game with the penalty.
“We’re sitting in thirteenth in the league, there’s nothing there to smile about. We’ve come up with one good result in the league, so that’s something to cheer about, but overall, we know it hasn’t been anywhere near good enough for a club like Manchester United.
“We’re not convincing anyone. In the City game, we didn’t have a shot on target in the first half. If you’re a real football guy and you analyse United, you know we are so far off the pace, it’s untrue.
“A result against City does give you confidence, even though we know City are also in a bad place and going through their difficulties. United took advantage of that. The red side of Manchester will be buzzing, and the blue side will be suffering, but the shoe’s been on the other foot for a long period of time, so it’s nice for the United fans to enjoy that moment.
“Real United fans, the people behind the scenes, they know how far away United are from where they should be, and they know it will be a long road to get back to the top. I think most people would also say, if they were being honest, United pickpocketed City on Sunday too.”
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Yorke insists the displays in general under Amorim have been “lacklustre” and believes youth is the answer for the Portuguese boss.
Yorke added: “I know that it’s early into Amorim’s tenure, but the early performances have been lacklustre. I don’t think you can blame the coach for that, he has to give everyone a try and see who he likes.
“I would have liked to have seen more of United’s young players given an opportunity because young players bring a different kind of energy to a team. United are lacking energy when you watch them play. They have no energy, they don’t seem to have pace going forward, they play one-dimensional kind of stuff.”
Asked which players Amorim can hang his hat on, Yorke replied: “I would think Amad would be one now. I think he will be the first one that stands out and the first name that Amorim can put on his team. He’s a player for the future and he’s a player to build around.
“Bruno Fernandes, he’s still one of the better players, even though he huffs and puffs. He does his thing, but you can’t ignore his quality. I think he can still give United something, but he’s just turned thirty, so you can’t build around him for the next five years.
“Amorim can’t hang his hat on Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund. I used to say that he could hang his hat on Rashford, but he can’t do that anymore. United are missing a brilliant central midfielder who can run a game for you and get you out of trouble when you’re under the kosh.
“I’m struggling to give you three names. There’s a lot of dead wood in that place; I have to be honest with you. I don’t think there are three players that he can build around, I can only give you Amad and Fernandes.”
