Poor performers: 5 players to blame for Manchester United's disappointing start

On Nov. 11, Ruben Amorim officially became the new Manchester United manager, moving from Sporting Lisbon to Old Trafford to replace former Ajax boss Erik ten Hag, who was sacked last month after an abysmal start to the campaign. Overall, ten Hag’s two years in charge of the Red Devils were a struggle, despite their winning an EFL Cup and FA Cup respectively in his two seasons.

Ruud van Nistelrooy served admirably as interim manager between ten Hag and Amorim, winning three and drawing one of his four games at the helm, including securing Man United’s first win in Europe for over a year, the former Red Devil having previously found experience in management with PSV.

At the time of writing, Manchester United are 13th in the Premier League table, having accumulated just 15 points in 11 games. Nine of those matches were under ten Hag, their tally of 11 at the time of his sacking having been their second-worst tally over that period of games in their Premier League history.

As Amorim, the sixth permanent Man United manager since SIir Alex Ferguson’s 2013 retirement, hopes to return the club to a position they feel they belong, it is worth asking just which five players carry most of the blame for the club’s awful start?

5. Rasmus Hojlund

Last summer, one of Manchester United’s marquee signings was the addition of Rasmus Hojlund, who moved to Old Trafford from Atalanta for just over $90 million. The Danish attacker was viewed as a prospect for the future, but also a player that could make immediate contributions.

Hojlund has been rotated with Zirkzee as Manchester United seek a leading number nine at the club, though neither have begun the season in a particularly hot vein of form. At the time of writing, Hojlund has made 12 appearances for the team this campaign, scoring one Europa League goal and one Premier League goal.

Again, Hojlund is young and has all the room to grow into the player his potential suggested he would be, but it goes without saying that his slow start has scarcely aided his club in their incredibly poor start to the

4. Antony

The Brazilian winger has only played five games this season, scoring one goal which came in the EFL Cup rather than the Premier League. Maybe it is slightly harsh to place a player who has played so little on this list, but by that same token, for the price that was paid to acquire Antony’s services, that number means he has to be held to a higher standard.

Antony joined Manchester United from Ajax two years ago for around $100 million dollars, making him the record sale for the storied Amsterdam club. Since then, in 87 appearances, Antony has racked up just 12 goals and five assists. Conversations about him being the worst Premier League signing of all time began as a joke but now, two years on from his arrival, is such a statement incorrect?

For such an astronomical fee, far more is expected of the winger, certainly compared to such a tame start to the current campaign. No league goals or assists, regardless of the relatively small number of matches he has played, is not good enough for a player who seemingly loses credit with each passing month.

3. Joshua Zirkzee

Man United fans were understandably excited when it was announced that the club had completed the signing of forward Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna. The Dutchman, formerly of Bayern Munich, had made a name for himself in Italy, playing a crucial role under the guidance of now-Juventus manager Thiago Motta as he helped the club qualify for the Champions League last season.

Zirkzee is something of a 9.5, if such a term could be coined. He tends to play deeper than your average striker, occupying space behind the forward line and ahead of the 10 that he is playing with. The attacker has reformed his game on his passing ability and solid finishing, utilizing both at a brilliant level when on form.

He is a new signing at a club where he is pressured to succeed from the start, so there can perhaps be some leeway in that regard. In 17 games across all competitions at the time of writing, however, Zirkzee has just two assists and one goal, the latter coming on his debut.

2. Marcus Rashford

It feels, at this point, that question marks will always surround Marcus Rashford. He burst onto the scene as a young prospect and has been a regular in the Manchester United first team for almost a decade now, often playing on the left but capable of playing through the middle as a striker if necessary.

He has had his ups, like his 30-goal season just two years ago, but has had his downs, just like this term. Rashford has four goals and three assists to his name thus far this season, though two goals and one assist came in a 7-0 EFL Cup trouncing of Barnsley. He has just two Premier League goals this campaign, his latest strike coming against Brentford in mid-October.

If any manager can get a tune out of Rashford, it would be someone of Amorim’s caliber. As a player approaching the peak years of his career, the England international could prove a key cog in anything that the Red Devils aim to achieve in the coming seasons, but that tune needs to come quickly.

1. Bruno Fernandes

The man who replaced Harry Maguire as club captain at Old Trafford, Bruno Fernandes has been one of Manchester United’s more dependable players in recent years since his arrival from Sporting in 2020. The Portuguese can generally be relied on for a goal or assist in most games and has endeared himself to his fanbase with his style of play.

Fernandes has four goals and seven assists inside 17 games so far this season, the best return of any player on this list by some margin. What is worth considering, though, is that all of those goals and two of the assists came under van Nistelrooy’s interim spell in charge, after the sacking of ten Hag.

The attacking midfielder looked like a shell of the player he had been in season passed towards the end of ten Hag’s tenure, a player that had been truly run into the ground. Whether Amorim can bring about a sharper run of form remains to be seen, but it can be said without question that such an improvement needs to happen swiftly for Fernandes.