Manchester United beating arch-rivals Manchester City 2-1 at the Etihad in the middle of December feels like a lifetime ago now, with four defeats in all competitions since that dramatic victory seriously souring the mood.
Glancing at those four losses, Ruben Amorim’s Red Devils have also worryingly fired blanks on three occasions, which included Monday night’s latest embarrassment as Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United comfortably ran out 2-0 winners at Old Trafford.
This was meant to be the managerial appointment that saw Man United rise up the league standings, but Rome wasn’t built in a day, as many of the poor signings that Erik ten Hag once signed off on continue to severely underperform.
One of those poor underperformers was Joshua Zirkzee, who was hauled off mid-way through the first half by Amorim after offering very little.
Zirkzee's performance vs Newcastle
The decision to hook him off with barely 33 minutes on the clock would cause one of the biggest cheers from the home masses all game, as the toxic environment that went hand-in-hand with Ten Hag’s final few months in charge shows no signs of lifting.
After all, Man United linger in a dire 14th spot in the Premier League standings off the back of defeats like these, with Zirkzee once again way off the pace.
The £36.5m flop could only muster up three accurate passes from his 33-minute stint on the Theatre of Dreams turf, with zero shots also being registered on Martin Dubravka’s goal from his meagre 14 touches.
This could well be the endpoint for Zirkzee – who has already been linked with a January exit – under Amorim, with the United boss set to look to other members of his squad away from the floundering Dutchman to try and kickstart some positive form heading into 2025.
But, the problems run far deeper than just the dejected number 11, with Casemiro putting in yet another abject display for his side against a Newcastle midfield that were head and shoulders above the waning Brazilian all night.
Casemiro's performance in numbers
The former Real Madrid man continues to watch his Man United career go down the drain, after once being seen as a statement buy for the Red Devils off the back of his illustrious playing days in Spain.
Now, he’s an easy opponent to come up against, with the Magpies far too quick with their passing moves for Casemiro to keep tabs on, seen in Alexander Isak’s opener as the 32-year-old simply watched the move unfold alongside an equally tired Christian Eriksen before the deadly Swede headed home.
The likes of Joelinton also managed to get in on the scoring act whilst Casemiro trudged about the pitch passively, with Joelinton’s midfield partners in Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes bossing the game at the expense of the out-of-sorts number 18.
Indeed, whilst the Italian and his confident teammate boasted 60 and 61 accurate passes respectively, the Red Devils dud could only muster up 48 among other dire numbers.
Stat
Casemiro
Minutes played
65
Touches
78
Accurate passes
48/60 (80%)
Possession lost
14x
Shots off target
2
Big chances missed
1
Total duels won
5/7
Looking at the table above, away from squandering possession 14 times, Casemiro was also wasteful in front of goal when a rare opportunity opened up, seen in him slicing a golden chance wide right at the end of the first half.
On another day, he could have been the hero to get his despondent side back into the contest, but it wasn’t to be, with Manchester Evening News journalist Samuel Luckhurst dishing out a dismal 2/10 rating to him after the defeat consequently.
Labelled as the “worst Brazilian midfielder on show by a distance” by Luckhurst, Amorim could now have had enough of giving the veteran chances to impress, alongside attempting to get a tune out of Zirkzee.
With links regarding a potential switch to Saudi Arabia resurfacing ahead of the looming January window, the veteran should well have turned out in a United shirt for the last time, if a swift exit can be agreed.
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