Ruben Amorim Must Drop Man Utd’s ‘Little Boy’ After Awful 3/10 Display vs Forest

It was a bad day at the office all around for the Manchester United players and their new manager Ruben Amorim as they slumped to a 3-2 defeat at home against Nottingham Forest. Having lost to Arsenal in the week, the Red Devils would have been hoping to bounce back but failed to do so with a limp display at Old Trafford.

They got off to the worst possible start with Nikola Milenkovic heading Forest into the lead after just two minutes. Rasmus Hojlund would make it level before the break but goals from Morgan Gibbs-White and Chris Wood would give the away team a 3-1 lead.

Bruno Fernandes managed to reduce the deficit but that wasn’t enough as Man Utd were beaten 3-2 in the Premier League fixture. While very few players impressed, the backline in particular looked vulnerable. Leny Yoro struggled on his first start, but Lisandro Martinez was even more disappointing – especially as the senior man at the back for the Red Devils.

If Amorim wants to send a message to his team about what is acceptable, he would be wise to drop the Argentine for Man Utd’s mid-week Eurpea Keague fixture vs Viktoria Plzen.

Martinez Disappoints vs Forest

Dribbled past twice

With a 6.5 match rating, only three players to get on the pitch across both teams put in a worse display than the Man Utd defender. He was far from his usual committed self as he was dribbled past twice and completed just one tackle in the whole game.

What’s more, he struggled in his duels, winning just one out of three on the ground and once more only one out of three in the air – which included being out-muscled for the Forest opener.

With only one clearance and one tackle to add to that, this was an incredibly underwhelming showing from the man dubbed ‘the Butcher’ for his usually wholehearted displays.

Related

Sir Jim Ratcliffe Slams ‘Mediocre’ Man Utd in Astonishing Interview

He highlighted one issue key as ‘not good enough’.

Jamie Redknapp Slams ‘Little Boy” Martinez

“He gets bullied”

If the stats weren’t enough, Martinez also failed the eye test. Indeed, perhaps most damning was the assessment of Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp who called him a ‘little boy’ (via The Express). When discussing the opening goal, it was noted that the

5ft 9in centre-back was too easily brushed aside by Nottingham Forest defender Milenkovic as the Serbian headed home from a corner:

“He’s got to be stronger, Martinez. He’s like a little boy there. He gets bullied, doesn’t he?”

Former Man United defender Phil Jones had to agree, saying: “Yeah, he’s got to be stronger there. Again, side on you can see the ball, see the man…” Before Redknapp concluded: “It’s a mismatch. He’s trying to block him, but it’s an absolutely towering header.”

Things didn’t get much kinder for Martinez in the written media either, with journalist Joe Krishnan handing him a 3/10 in his player ratings for the Express, noting: “His defending on the line for the third goal was comical and only Amorim knows why he survived the Portuguese’s double substitution.”

Another 3/10 mark followed in Goal’s player ratings, as they wrote: “Very poor from a defensive point of view: beaten by Mileknovic and did nothing on the line to prevent Wood scoring, seemingly obstructing Onana as the ball sailed past him and into the net.”

All in all, it was a dreadful display from the Argentine and while he was a favourite under Erik ten Hag, Martinez will have to quickly find some form if he wants to keep his place in the starting XI going forward under the new man in charge.

What’s more, with Amorim no doubt looking to make a point about high standards, he perhaps would be wise to drop the centre-back for their way trip to Viktoria Plzen. This would be a great way to send a message to other defenders, about what they can expect if they don’t live up to expectations.

With Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire all available to step into the team, Amorim could easily afford to leave Martinez out of the team. What’s more, it’s not the biggest game, so he could use the Europa League fixture as a way to bring discipline to the rest of the squad.

It remains to be seen if the club’s new manager would be so ruthless but if he really wants to change the culture of the club, he will have to make some bold decisions in the coming months. Martinez really did look like a ‘little boy’ in the 3-2 home loss to Old Trafford, so perhaps he deserves to sit on the naughty step for a game or two.

Stats via SofaScore – as of 07/12/24.