Amorim must drop 5/10 Man United dud who Ashworth thinks is “really good”

Ruben Amorim suffered a second consecutive defeat as Manchester United boss, losing 3-2 to Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford on Saturday night.

Goals from Rasmus Hojlund and Bruno Fernandes weren’t enough to secure anything out of the clash, with the defeat the first during the 39-year-old’s tenure on home soil.

The clash got off to the worst possible start after Nikola Milenkovic took advantage of the Red Devils’ dismal set piece record, to power his header home after just 90 seconds.

Nuno Espírito Santo ultimately played the perfect strategy to frustrate Amorim and his side, leaving United 13th in the Premier League table, eight points off the top four after the first 15 outings of the campaign.

One player in particular had an evening to forget at Old Trafford, potentially putting his starting role at risk ahead of the Europa League clash on Thursday night.

Man United’s worst performer against Nottingham Forest

Goalkeeper Andre Onana has been a key player for United during the opening months of the season, finally showing why former boss Erik ten Hag was keen to fork out £47m for his signature in the summer of 2023.

During 2024/25, he’s kept seven clean sheets in all competitions, producing numerous memorable displays that have earned points for the Red Devils.

His outing against Crystal Palace is still up there with one of his very best for the club, making a magnificent double save that earned him the Save of the Month award by the Premier League for September.

However, last night’s showing against Forest was one he will want to forget in a hurry, costing Amorim’s side dearly and preventing them from walking away from the clash with any points.

The Cameroonian was at fault for Morgan Gibbs-White’s strike, unable to keep out the effort that appeared to be heading straight towards him.

The 28-year-old also failed to deal with Chris Wood’s header, which somehow found its way into the bottom corner after he and Lisandro Martínez were unable to deal with the effort.

Onana wasn’t the only player to fail to impress, with Amorim needing to drop one talent after yet another dismal showing in the first-team.

Not just Onana: Man United forward needs to be dropped

Winger Alejandro Garnacho has struggled since the appointment of Amorim, unable to feature in his preferred left-wing role in the 3-4-2-1 system.

The Argentine suffered a similar fate against Arsenal in midweek, but despite his disappointing display, he was kept in the starting lineup to try and recapture his best form.

However, it was once again an evening to forget for the youngster, being replaced after just 59 minutes, looking disgusted with the decision by the boss to replace him with Marcus Rashford.

When delving into his underlying stats from the loss against the Reds, his withdrawal was understandable, failing to create any real impact in the final third once again under Amorim.

The Argentine only managed 31 touches during his time on the pitch (fewer than Onana’s 38), failing to complete a single cross and winning just three out of the five duels he entered.

Garnacho also missed one big chance, losing possession five times in the process and looking wasteful when on the ball in attacking areas.

As a result, he was handed a 5/10 match rating by The Express’ Joe Krishnan, evidence of how disappointing he was once again for the Red Devils.

Given his display, he will be lucky to keep his place in the starting XI in the Europa League on Thursday night, giving other players an opportunity to stake their claim.

It’s been a week to forget for Amorim with two defeats in as many matches, but if he is to turn such form around, the previously “really good” Garnacho, in the words of Dan Ashworth, must be given a night off.