Amorim must instantly drop £36.5m Man Utd flop after losing ball more times than he completed passes vs Newcastle

Manchester United took three Premier League points against Newcastle United with a narrow 1-0 victory on Boxing Day.

The decisive moment arrived via Patrick Dorgu, who struck the only goal of the game after starting on the right flank in a 4-2-3-1 setup.

United dominated the first half with authority and intent, but a forced half-time withdrawal of Mason Mount dramatically shifted the momentum.

Benjamin Sesko set the tone up front, pressing relentlessly and leading the line with intensity for 60 minutes before making way for Joshua Zirkzee.

The expectation was that the Dutchman would bring composure, drop deeper, and knit play together to relieve pressure on United’s midfield.

Instead, the final half-hour brutally exposed why Zirkzee’s long-term future at Old Trafford is already in serious doubt.

He looked completely out of sync with the tempo of the match, resembling a novice dropped into a high-stakes Premier League battle.

Zirkzee completed just four passes in total, all of them in United’s own half, offering nothing in transition.

He failed to register a single shot or create a key chance, leaving United effectively playing with ten men in attack.

His hold-up play was alarmingly ineffective, surrendering possession five times and winning just one of his seven duels.

Interest from AS Roma is already building, with the Italian side reportedly eyeing a January loan move that includes a summer obligation to buy.

The £36.5 million signing is understood to be open to the switch.

This performance should be enough for the United hierarchy to offload Zirkzee and get a replacement in the summer.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com

Article written by Sanidhya Bhardwaj .