Ruben Amorim explains reason for hauling Joshua Zirkzee off early after nightmare performance for Man Utd against Newcastle

Manchester United suffered yet another defeat at Old Trafford under Amorim, this time losing 2-0 to Newcastle, condemning them to 14th place in the Premier League standings. It was a disastrous first half for the Red Devils, who found themselves behind early on. It was also a night to forget for Zirkzee, with the Dutchman rarely able to complete a pass. He was subbed off after 33 minutes to loud cheers from the crowd as he headed straight down the tunnel.

Explaining his decision to remove the striker after the match, Amorim said: "You have to think about the team. The player is suffering during the game. We needed another midfielder. It was tough on me to do that, I talked with Joshua on that. I’m always thinking about the team. At that moment it was important for him to come out.

"I know that Josh is a really good guy. When he went to the tunnel, I can understand that some guys can be in a bad way but he is a really good lad. It is life, and we will support Josh and continue. Newcastle were better than Manchester United, they weren't better than Josh."

As Amorim said, Zirkzee's was not the only poor performance at the Theatre of Dreams. Pundits also criticised Lisandro Martinez for his poor defending for both Newcastle goals, while the midfield pivot of Christian Eriksen and Casemiro put the hosts on the back foot from the very off as they struggled to deal with the pace and power of their opponents. United were simply outclassed by a better team who did not hesitate to hand the Red Devils their ninth loss of the season.

Things do not get any easier for Zirkzee, Amorim and Co as they travel to Liverpool next Sunday. It would be a surprise to see the new United head coach line-up with two strikers again at Anfield, meaning that Zirkzee could return to the bench with Rasmus Hojlund the obvious favourite for Amorim. The Red Devils must start winning soon, or they are at serious risk of falling into a relegation battle.