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Ruben Amorim needs to bring back two things from Sir Alex’s Man United tenure
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Cole Palmer switching from Chelsea to Manchester United makes sense
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Wolverhampton Wanderers’ forward, Matheus Cunha, can take Man United to next level and Fulham left-back, Antonee Robinson, can help transform the Red Devils
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Cristiano Ronaldo would’ve scored more goals in MLS than Lionel Messi
Speaking exclusively to Completesports.com Manchester United hero, Louis Saha, has named two things Ruben Amorim needs to bring back to his former club.
The former France striker has also admitted that Cole Palmer to United would make sense – but tipped the Chelsea man to be on a path towards La Liga giants Real Madrid.
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Saha has also urged his former side to sign Matheus Cunha and Antonee Robinson and said that Cristiano Ronaldo would outscore Lionel Messi in the MLS.
Q: Why has Ruben Amorim not been able to turn things around at Man United yet?
LS: “We have learned that Ruben Amorim is not a magician. He needs time to change things because there are deep problems with the players that he has to fix.
“Credit to Nottingham Forest, but United made things too comfortable for them and allowed them to find a rhythm in the game, that’s when you get punished.
“One concern is the individual mistakes, but it’s also the commitment. To me it seems that though players aren’t fully committed, they don’t want to take risks during games.
“Players need to give their all for 60 or 70 minutes. That’s it. Up the tempo, the intensity of the game. It seems as though players are still managing their game and not committing themselves as much as they can.
“That’s when the team get found out because the quality isn’t at a level where you can afford to take your foot off the gas, unlike Liverpool or Manchester City who could afford to do that.
“At the moment United are a midtable team and they cannot afford to play on the back foot for any period of the game, the fans can see what is happening and it leads to that disconnect. There is no urgency and it’s not right.”
Q: Is it concerning that there hasn’t been a new manager bounce?
LS: “It’s concerning that there hasn’t been much of a bounce but I think the set-up in the first-half against Arsenal was okay, but against Nottingham Forest, I don’t even think Forest had to play brilliantly to win and that’s unacceptable.
“Players need to be able to block runs and mark at set-pieces, there is an urgency that defenders need to show in stopping creation of opportunities because it’s really difficult to watch.
Also Read: Palmer Sets New Premier League Record In Chelsea’s Comeback Win Vs Spurs
“It’s not on the manager because these are basics that the players should know, he cannot be telling them what to do for every minute during a match.
“He can organise the style of play and all the tactics but it’s strange that the players are showing a lack of urgency in defence, it’s very strange.
“Players need to have the mindset of constantly proving themselves when playing for Man United and I don’t see that at the moment.”
Q: What are two things that Ruben Amorim needs to bring back from the Sir Alex days?
LS: “Ruben Amorim needs to bring two things back from Sir Alex Ferguson’s time at the club and that’s passion and desire.
“As a former player I can see the difference between the club now and when I was playing for Manchester United. I played with a team who were obsessed with football.
“I think back to Wayne Rooney in training who would leave everything out there, the same goes for Cristiano Ronaldo, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Roy Keane, Wes Brown, Phil Neville, Gary Neville, Darren Fletcher and more – they were all obsessed with football.
“Looking in from the outside, I don’t see that at the club anymore. Some players are just happy to be at the club and don’t have the same obsession for the game.
“The players should be watching as much footage as they can and working out how to improve game by game, to work out how they can get back to winning major trophies again.
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“Out of 20, you need to have about 11 players who are obsessed with the game in order to get back to the top. Players who will put their bodies on the line for the club.”
Q: Did Man United make a big mistake not trying to sign Cole Palmer from Man City?
LS: “In hindsight it’s easy to say that Manchester United should’ve signed Cole Palmer from Manchester City, but it wasn’t so obvious at the time.
“Looking at him now you can see that he lives for the game and he always wants to play and improve, he is constantly proving people wrong and there is no limit to what he can achieve.
“I’m a huge fan of his mentality and his consistency, United don’t have that at the moment, they also have the headache with the director of football, it’s not easy.”
Q: Could we still see Cole Palmer at Man United one day?
LS: “Cole Palmer to Manchester United would one day make sense because he grew up being a fan of the club, but there is only one club I can see him going to after Chelsea.
“I can see him being on a trajectory to Real Madrid and I don’t think the move would phase him, he never doubts himself or thinks about things for too long.
“He wants to enjoy his game and he’s having fun. I’m very jealous of Chelsea because he is a huge star and I think he’d be a big success if he went to Spain.”
Q: Is Cole Palmer the best player in the Premier League?
LS: “Despite Cole Palmer’s form, I still cannot say that he is the best player in the Premier League because of Mohamed Salah.
“If you look at Salah’s longevity but also how he is still playing at the highest level, he is impossible to defend against even though you know what he will try to do. It’s just unbelievable.
“Palmer is really hard to mark and in a young stage of his career so players are still surprised by what he can do, it helps his game that he plays in the middle and can go either way as well as push forward and drop deep.
“Salah has been in the same role for so long and still he’s impossible to defend against, Palmer might reach that level but he needs to show longevity over a period of many years.”
Q: Could Matheus Cunha help take Man United to the next level?
LS: “Matheus Cunha could help take Man United to the next level, he is a great player and is so powerful for his size. There are not many players like him in the league.
“I think he’d be very complementarity alongside Bruno Fernandes in front of United’s midfield, the club already has stamina with Manuel Ugarte but Cunha has the legs and the power that might not be there already.
“Cunha can dribble the ball through midfield and press the opposition, he is an unpredictable player and that’s what Ruben Amorim needs in his system, someone who can exploit the weaknesses of the opposition.
“United have too many predictable players at the moment, which is why they should look at bringing in a player who has qualities like Cunha.”
Q: Could Antonee Robinson help transform Man Utd from left-wing back?
LS: “Antonee Robinson could help transform Manchester United’s team because he is not just great at creating chances and getting forward but he is also a leader.
“Usually captains are in the middle of the pitch but he has captained Fulham from left-back this season and he brings so much enthusiasm.
“At United, Diogo Dalot likes to get forward but it’s not as balanced on the other side, Robinson could bring that consistency and potentially solve a problem that Amorim has.
“I left United because I was always injured so I do feel for Luke Shaw, he is a top player who wants to help his team-mates on the pitch, he has love for the club.
“But Robinson is the type of player that can bring balance to a team and be such a threat, it would be interesting to see him in the wing-back position.”
Q: What is your prediction for the Manchester derby?
LS: “The Manchester derby is impossible to predict. You don’t know what you are going to get from Man United and Manchester City have also been struggling, it could be a tight game but go either way.
“It will be entertaining, that’s for certain, but United need to try and see out the first 15 minutes of the game and then be courageous when going forward.
“United have shown that they can be consistent for 60 minutes but we need to see more, they need that consistency in their performance to try and capitalise if City make a mistake.”
Q: Would Ronaldo have scored more goals than Messi in MLS?
LS: “Cristiano Ronaldo would’ve scored more goals in MLS than Lionel Messi has, because Messi scored 20 with so many quality players around him.
“As I’ve said before, I don’t think that Ronaldo needs to have the same quality around him to score as many goals, when he scores 30 goals in a season that isn’t enough for him, wherever he is playing.
“He wouldn’t be happy with 20 goals in the league and we saw last year that he scored 35 goals in the league and 50 in all competitions.
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“Messi is a different player now, he’s not out there to break records and score more goals, he is relaxed on the pitch. Ronaldo is still looking to break records.”
Q: What did you make of Kylian Mbappe’s interview over the weekend?
LS: “I absolutely loved what I saw from Kylian Mbappe. People always find a way to criticise him but that interview showed his brilliance.
“He showed his intelligence and showed how much it means for him to play for France, he has won the World Cup and so many trophies but he still has that passion.
“A lot of people complain when he talks or when he doesn’t talk, like he said about people making salaries by just talking about him, but he has had to deal with a lot.
“When I compare him to Thierry Henry, who has a career I love and respect, Mbappe has had to deal with more in terms of the press and how much weight is put on his shoulders.
“His critics need to watch his interview because you will learn a lot about him and his career.”
Q: Should Marseille sign Paul Pogba?
LS: “Paul Pogba has been out of the game but you still cannot name many players who are as good as him in midfield.
“The only question about him joining a club like Marseille would be how long it takes for him to be match-fit because he is still about four months away from playing.
“However, Pogba will still be a huge asset for any club that can pick him up now ahead of next season.”
Q: What are your thoughts on PSG under Luis Enrique?
LS: “There are different demands on PSG than most other clubs around Europe because they are always expected to be at a completely different level to other teams in France.
“Luis Enrique has the challenge of having to dominate in Ligue 1 and then challenge in the Champions League, he has an identity and a style but there is a lack of inspiration at the vital moment.
“They have the foundations but the spark is missing, we’ve seen in several games how they need to take their chances and find a solution.
“Until they can fix that then whoever the manager or the players are, they will struggle.”
