Why Amorim did not turn to United’s game-changer when chasing a goal vs Forest – report

Manchester United had to be content with only a point from their Premier League game against Nottingham Forest as the match at the City Ground ended 2-2 on Saturday. It was the visitors who took a deserved lead through Casemiro in the first half, but the team capitulated within five minutes of the restart. Two easy goals were conceded in the space of two minutes, with Diogo Dalot struggling big time. Ruben Amorim’s substitutions were equally perplexing. Chasing a goal, the head coach opted to make two changes at the back, which meant hardly anything of note was created from open play. Amorim’s strange subs Ultimately, Amad stepped up to save the Portuguese tactician’s blushes with a wonder strike. He came agonisingly close to finding a late winner only for the ball to be cleared off the line. It was disappointing considering the Red Devils’ form heading into the contest and the fact that the hosts have been struggling all season. While the ex-Sporting CP boss doubled down on his substitution calls, The Sun have now revealed why Harry Maguire did not make it off the bench. Amorim has often turned to the former skipper when the club have needed a goal due to his aerial ability and uncanny habit of scoring memorable winners. The Englishman had scored a late winner against Liverpool, but had missed the Brighton and Hove Albion game due to an injury. Amorim had revealed he was hopeful of having the defender fit for the Forest game, but he did not want to take any risk with the 32-year-old’s fitness given his importance to the team and given the big games coming up. Amorim did not turn to Harry Maguire Hence, the England international was only given a watching brief at the weekend. “SunSport understands that United are being extra cautious with Maguire’s return to the pitch, ensuring Amorim can call on the defender for the club’s biggest games and most important fixtures. “The Portuguese manager does not want to take any risks with rushing the 32-year-old back too fast after he missed Brighton’s visit.” Amorim will hope to count on the services of Harry Maguire for the Tottenham Hotspur game next week. Given both teams are level on points, a win would do United’s cause for a top four finish a world of good. Feature image Michael Reagan 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