Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna said there were five Manchester United players who his side couldn’t deal with as Ruben Amorim’s men ground out a 3-2 win last night at Old Trafford.
The former United man cited the strength and power of the home side’s three centre-backs as a key decider in the hard-fought contest, but will raise eyebrows by also counting Amorim’s centre-forwards amongst the gamechangers.
Rasmus Hojlund turned in the kind of ineffectual performance United fans have come to find all too familiar, and Joshua Zirkzee only managed two touches in the opposing box.
But for McKenna, the pair caused enough problems to help the Red Devils secure the three crucial points.
Speaking to The East Anglian Daily Times, the 38-year-old said: “They were stronger than us at both ends of the pitch.
“They still had three big, high-quality centre-halves to defend their goal, while their two centre-forwards were stronger than us on long ball.”
Leny Yoro and goalscorers Matthijs de Ligt and Harry Maguire were in fine form, defending the United box efficiently and presenting an obvious threat at the other end of the field.
But it is interesting – and heartening – that the opposition manager credited Hojlund and Zirkzee with important roles in the result.
As per sofascore, both forwards contested three aerial duels and lost them all, while Maguire won six of his attempted seven and Yoro one of his attempted two.
Hojlund’s physical approach to the game has its detractors, and his incessant backing into defenders can be frustrating to watch, but it is perhaps more effective than he is given credit for.
Regardless, both he and Zirkzee need to start delivering on the key stats – namely goals and assists – soon to address United’s crippling difficulties in the final third.
Whatever they do between now and the end of the season may not be enough to secure their places in the team next campaign, with the Red Devils set to dip into the transfer window with the forward positions a massive priority.
Featured image Alex Livesey via Getty Images
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Joe Ponting
Joe has spent more than half his life writing about football and all of it following United. As a child he told a doctor his name was ‘Paul Scholes’, but could never pick a pass like him no matter how much he tried.
