Ruben Amorim has explained why he substituted Joshua Zirkzee in brutal fashion after 32 minutes against Newcastle United.
Newcastle maintained their strong play with a 2-0 victory at Old Trafford, giving United a record-tying sixth defeat in a calendar month. Alexander Isak and Joelinton gave the Magpies a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes as they outplayed United for extended periods.
And in fear of it getting even worse for United, Amorim decided to take off Zirkzee, who had been deployed on the left in a front three. Former United captain Gary Neville was annoyed by the mocking home shouts that greeted the departure of the former Bayern Munich player, who was replaced by Kobbie Mainoo.
Zirkzee put on his jacket and scurried down the tunnel after the embarrassing moment before returning and taking his place back on the bench.
According to a Sky Germany reporter inside the Old Trafford tunnel, Zirkzee had “tears in his eyes” after the humiliating ordeal.
Amorim was asked about the tough decision in his post-match interview, expressing sympathy with Zirkzee and praising the Dutchman’s character.
“You have to think about the team and also the player because the player is suffering,” Amorim told Sky Sports.
“I’ve been there. I felt the team was suffering and needed another midfielder.
“It was really tough on me to do that and I spoke with Josh because it is really important to express the message
“It’s important to know the players and I know that Josh is a really good guy. When he went to the tunnel, I can understand there are some guys in a bad way – he is in a good way because he is a good guy.
“We will support Josh and continue.”
Since arriving at United in the summer of 2024, for a reported £36.54m (as per BBC Sport), the forward has struggled to find form and has netted just three times in 19 Premier League games with two goals coming in the 4-0 win against Everton on December 1.
His other strike came on his debut when United beat Fulham 1-0 at Old Trafford on the opening night of the 2024/25 season back in August.
