Amorim was especially 'frustrated' with one player in Man Utd's defeat to Bournemouth

Ruben Amorim was visibly frustrated with Joshua Zirkzee during the Red Devils’ 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth over the weekend.

Goals from Dean Huijsen, Justin Kluivert, and Antoine Semenyo sealed the victory for the Cherries, handing United their seventh loss in 17 Premier League matches.

The defeat leaves Ruben Amorim’s side languishing in 13th place as the season approaches the halfway mark.

Zirkzee's performance came under scrutiny, particularly for his lack of involvement in defending the free-kick that led to Bournemouth’s opener and his reluctance in a challenge against Milos Kerkez early in the second half.

Amorim jumped up and down in frustration, and Zirkzee will have been relieved he was on the other side of the pitch.

It was a familiar pattern, as Diogo Dalot had already been agitated by his striker in the first half for a lack of effort in pressing from the front.

When Zirkzee made almost no physical effort to hold off Huijsen when Onana went long early in the second half, Amorim immediately turned to Carlos Fernandes and told him to get Rasmus Hojlund ready. It felt telling.

The frustration on the touchline is not new, with Amorim frequently cutting an exasperated figure during his nine matches in charge across all competitions.

Former United winger Lee Sharpe has also weighed in, expressing disappointment with the lack of progress under Amorim.

Sharpe told BetMGM, "The results and performances from United have been a bit of a mixed bag so far.

"It feels pretty similar to how it has the past few years under Erik ten Hag. United play in 20-minute spells where you think they’ve turned the corner, and they look really good.

"However, then there are defensive errors, giving silly goals away, and allowing too many chances to be created against them.

"They are also missing chances themselves and not burying teams when they are on top, which is what the best teams are so good at.

"But the team is going through a big transition. The new manager has come in, and that comes along with a formation change which sees players playing in unfamiliar positions in a system they don’t understand perfectly."

Sharpe stressed the urgency for United to adapt, adding, "United must get used to it soon. They need to be winning games, and these excuses won’t last forever—they need to be consistent in all competitions."