Amorim Singles Out £105m Man Utd Duo who ‘Have to be Better’

Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim didn’t hold back in terms of demanding more from his Red Devils stars, having seen them have a poor season so far – by prompting Amad Diallo and Bruno Fernandes to be ‘better’ in front of goal by asking them to score more.

The Red Devils have only scored 13 Premier League goals all season, worsened only by Everton, Crystal Palace and Southampton, which is nowhere near a good enough tally for them if they want to reach their aspirations of European football. They currently sit six points away from fifth-placed Brighton, and a further three away from Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest – though there are four other teams separating themselves and the City Ground outfit.

Diallo and Fernandes have been big stars this season, with the £68million Portuguese star and £37million Ivorian both starting in Amorim’s first-ever starting XI vs Ipswich Town at the weekend in the Premier League – but Fernandes only has two goals in the top-flight this season which is uncharacteristically low for him, whilst Diallo only has one for the Red Devils.

And, speaking ahead of United’s Europa League clash against Norwegian outfit Bodo/Glimt on Thursday at Old Trafford, the Portuguese boss laid down the gauntlet to his current crop of stars by asking them to improve in terms of finishing. He said: via Fabrizio Romano:

Hojlund and Zirkzee are also guilty of having just one strike each to their names, despite a combined 20 appearances in the Premier League – and the duo will need to step up to the mark if United are to rise up the table.

Last season saw United rank in as the ninth-highest scoring side in the league under Erik ten Hag, alongside being the seventh-highest in the 2022/23 season – and so improvements can be made going forward. But as the joint-seventeenth-highest scoring side in the Premier League this season, that is nothing short of woeful for the Red Devils – especially with the attacking talent at their disposal – and their stars must remedy that quickly.