Last night was tough for Ruben Amorim and his team as they lost 2-1 to Aston Villa, marking a challenging start to their festive season.
This match at Villa Park was United’s first without Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo, who are all at the Africa Cup of Nations for the next month.
The absence of these players has already strained United’s squad depth, and news of Kobbie Mainoo’s injury before the match added to the worries.
Mid-game, disaster struck when captain Bruno Fernandes was injured, which is a significant setback for the team given his importance.
Fernandes is expected to be out for about a month, and his absence was noticed during the second half of the Villa match.
After the game, United legend Roy Keane expressed his views on players not putting in enough effort to secure a win.
The Sun reported that Keane shared his thoughts, emphasizing, “You can have all the talent in the world, but you’ve got to roll your sleeves up.”
He continued, “When the game gets a bit tired, you need to do your part for the team. There are too many players like Dalot who are not doing enough.”
“I wouldn’t say they’re ‘cheating,’ but they’re simply falling short.”
“Look at Dalot during the second goal; the intensity to stop a cross was lacking.”
“After the game, I would focus on him and ask, ‘Are you going to stop him?’”
“The same goes for the first goal; everyone knows there’s a threat. Do they not see it?”
Dalot was moved back to his usual right side due to Diallo’s absence, who has been playing as the primary right wing-back, shifting Dalot from his previous role on the left.
The Portugal international has played on the left for the last three years at Old Trafford, often stepping in due to injuries to Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia.
However, his return to the right did not meet Roy Keane’s expectations, as the former Red Devil hopes for a better performance against Newcastle on Boxing Day.
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