'Lack of quality': Amorim delivers clear transfer message to Sir Jim Ratcliffe after Forest defeat - opinion
Manchester United fell to a narrow 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest at the City Ground in the Premier League on Tuesday evening.
The decisive moment came early, as Anthony Elanga unleashed a scintillating goal that left United scrambling for answers.
The former United starlet sprinted an electrifying 85 meters in just 9 seconds, outpacing Alejandro Garnacho and Patrick Dorgu before slotting a low strike past Andre Onana with clinical precision.
United head coach Ruben Amorim was visibly upset with another painful league defeat.
He told TNT Sports (via BBC Sport): “We had a lot of shots on goal, we pushed the opponent to the last third, but in the last third we had a lack of quality.
“We need to win games and we deserved more in this game, that is clear, but it is our fault and we need to be better in the last third.
“We should have won this game, not even drawn, but in the end we have lost three points.”
Transfer plea sent to Sir Jim Ratcliffe
The Red Devils controlled the game with 68% possession and peppered the Forest goal with 23 shots, while Forest managed just eight.
United completed twice as many passes as their opponents, but all the possession and playmaking could not stop them from walking away empty-handed.
Elanga posed a constant threat whenever he had the ball at his feet and space to exploit.
He could have netted another goal late in the game, but Leny Yoro made a fantastic sliding challenge to stop his run.
We believe the post-match comments from Amorim were a message to United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Despite making every possible attacking substitution, Amorim’s side could not find the equaliser, highlighting the team’s struggles in front of goal.
The need for reinforcements became painfully obvious when Amorim was forced to deploy Harry Maguire as an emergency striker.
Alejandro Garnacho delivered a terrible performance but the manager had no viable alternatives to turn to.
It is clear that Ratcliffe and his team must tackle the glaring “lack of quality” issue this summer.
United sit in 13th place in the league, but their position is precarious.
If Tottenham Hotspur and Everton win their games in hand, United will slip to 15th spot.
Article written by Sanidhya Bhardwaj .