Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim gave a reality check after their side’s 2-2 draw with Tottenham, saying his team “has a lot of problems”.
Matthijs de Ligt’s 96th-minute equalizer gave United a point and extended their unbeaten run in the league to five games, their longest under the Portuguese manager, but Amorim was frustrated to see his team repeat the mistake of last Saturday’s draw with Nottingham Forest.
United led for nearly an hour in the first half thanks to a Brian Mbeumo header, but Spurs substitutes Matthijs Tell and Richarlison turned the game around in the second half with goals seven minutes apart, and De Ligt rescued a draw with the team down by one player due to an injury to Benjamin Sesco.
Amorim said United would have moved into second place had they continued to win, but they struggled to cope with Casemiro and Harry Maguire being sent off with less than 20 minutes remaining and a dejected tone ahead of the international break.
“We have many problems,” Amorim said. “We’re just getting started. I know the results can show people that we’re improving, but there’s a lot of work to do.
“The last 10 minutes can decide the game, even when we beat Harry Maguire and Casemiro at the same time and then we conceded two goals and had to lose (to Sesco), even before we got the big chance and got the second goal.”
“It was good that we managed to score despite everything playing with 10 men, but if you look at the rest of the game we were comfortable.
“I think we have to do better and be more aggressive, feeling the environment in the stadium.
“The three points were there, we had the space and I think we were too comfortable during the game. You have to hope that one play can make something happen and change the atmosphere in the stadium, and today was just that kind of game.”
“We controlled the game well, but we need to do better because the game was meant to be won.”
“Sesco’s knee injury is a bigger concern than a confidence issue.”
Benjamin Sesko likely to miss Slovenia’s World Cup qualifiers
Sesco, who was left out of Spurs’ starting XI, was forced off the bench with a knee injury and could miss Slovenia’s World Cup qualifiers.
The striker had a chance to put United ahead shortly after Tell’s late equalizer to make it 1-1, but he squandered the chance and Micky van de Ven took some time to recover before taking the shot, sustaining an injury in the process.
That was Sesco’s final act, and it was enough to stop him from playing, despite United using all five of their substitutes as they headed straight down the tunnel with the medical team assessing the severity of the problem.
Asked about Sesco’s lack of confidence, Amorim said: “No, I don’t think that’s the biggest concern right now. It happened the same way he didn’t score a goal, but then he scored two goals in the next two games.”
“That happens especially with strikers. I’m more worried about his injury because it’s a knee injury but we don’t know[how bad]it is. We need Ben to be a better team.”
When asked if the injury was serious, he added, “I don’t know, but it’s my knee, so I don’t know.”
Amorim does not rule out possibility of signing in January
United are already set to lose Brian Mbeumo, Amad Diallo and Nouser Mazraoui at the AFCON, which opens on December 21 and ends on January 18, and a serious injury to Sesko would leave Amorim in a precarious position.
Joshua Zirkzee, who Amorim does not consider a No. 9, was the only senior batting option on Spurs’ bench and was an unused substitute, with Mason Mount preferred as an impact player.
Asked if they would be active in the January period, Amorim said: “We need to confirm everything, we need to confirm what happened to Ben.”
“Of course there will be problems (at AFCON), but we already knew that. It will be difficult to manage that situation, but let’s improve the team and see if we can fix something, when the window opens. Until then, we have to take our chances.”
Asked if he wanted to sign for January, Amorim added: “We’ll see.”
Analysis: Finding Casemiro’s successor as a transfer priority
Ginny Boswell from Sky Sports:
Sky Sports News reported that signing the midfielder is a priority for United this summer, with Elliott Anderson and Carlos Baleva among the many options the club is considering.
However, the numbers show that those plans may need to be brought forward to the January window, if of course the PSR allows.
Casemiro, who is 33 years old and in the final year of his contract at Old Trafford, cannot be expected to put everything together for an entire season, and clearly the other options are not suited to the job.
Of the 20 goals United have conceded this season, just five have come when Casemiro has been on the pitch, with the remaining 15 coming in his absence.
That is sure to be a big concern for Amorim, who has only played the full 90 minutes once this season with the Brazilian. He needs to find Casemiro’s successor quickly.
