Almorim must ban two of his players in the same Man Utd side, says pundit

Ruben Amorim’s got the lineup wrong for the clash with Newcastle, says Gary Neville, as they crashed 2-0 at home.

The match started disastrously for Manchester United, with Alexander Isak heading Newcastle into the lead within four minutes.

The Magpies easily bypassed United’s midfield pairing of Casemiro and Christian Eriksen, spreading the play wide to Lewis Hall, whose pinpoint cross allowed Isak to convert.

Neville immediately voiced his apprehension about the duo in midfield.

"I have concerns whenever Casemiro and Eriksen are picked in the middle of the park," Neville admitted on Sky Sports. "They have not got the legs to get around."

The warning signs intensified just 15 minutes later when Newcastle scored an almost identical goal.

This time, Anthony Gordon delivered a cross from the left for Joelinton to head home.

The Magpies’ midfield trio of Bruno Guimaraes, Joelinton, and Sandro Tonali were dominating Eriksen and Casemiro, exposing their lack of mobility.

Neville’s criticism sharpened further."You mentioned their age before—they should not be playing together in the Premier League," Neville ranted.

"A little one-two around Eriksen and it’s just so easy for Newcastle."

Amorim’s starting lineup included some unusual choices, with Joshua Zirkzee operating as an inside forward behind Rasmus Hojlund and Matthijs de Ligt deployed as a right-sided center-back.

Neville believed the team was doomed to struggle in every department. "The two central midfielders have got no legs," he said.

"The wing-backs aren’t strong in the attacking quadrant of the pitch. There’s no balance with Hojlund and Zirkzee up front.

"You’ve only really got Amad [Diallo] who can do something for you. You’re relying on one person. This team will need changing at half-time, and in the short-to-medium-term it will need changing en masse."

Amorim made his first change just after the half-hour mark, brutally substituting Zirkzee for Kobbie Mainoo despite the Dutchman being fit to continue.

The struggling forward, who has endured a difficult first season in England, headed straight down the tunnel before returning to the bench a few minutes later.

Neville didn’t hold back in his assessment of the state of United, labeling them "the worst pound-for-pound football team in the country" as they failed to mount any meaningful response to Newcastle’s dominance.

The former right-back’s words echoed the mounting frustration among fans, with United’s disjointed performance highlighting the deep issues in the squad and the challenges facing Amorim in turning things around.