United Beyond Manchester

Manchester United has lost three straight Premier League games by a combined score of 7-0. The 2-0 defeat to Newcastle United only puts more pressure on an already tough matchup at Anfield on Sunday.

The loss did not yield many positives, so here are the player ratings.

Starting Eleven

Andre Onana: 5 – Onana was better on set pieces, punching away multiple crosses. He was scored on twice, though, and has not kept a clean sheet in the league since December 1st.

Matthijs De Ligt: 5 – De Ligt was shaky at times in his return from illness. He only contributed one clearance and one interception while on the pitch, as most of the Newcastle attacks came down the flanks.

Harry Maguire: 4 – Maguire and Martinez lost track of Isak in the box for the first Newcastle goal. He nearly brought United back into the match but hit the post with a late header.

Lisandro Martinez: 4 – Martinez was given the armband in the absence of Bruno Fernandes but struggled. The Argentine was beaten easily in the air for Newcastle’s second and was uncomfortable against a more physical opposition.

Noussair Mazraoui: 3 – Mazraoui was repeatedly beaten by Lewis Hall and Anthony Gordon, including on crosses that led to the two Newcastle goals. The Moroccan starred in matches as a right center-back and does not seem up for a wing-back role.

Casemiro: 3 – Casemiro does not fit Ruben Amorim’s style and cannot go box-to-box. The club should see if any takers are interested in January.

Christian Eriksen: 4 – Eriksen was never in the game and struggled with Newcastle’s pace. It will be interesting to see how Amorim uses him going forward, as his exit has already been confirmed for June.

Diogo Dalot: 5 – Dalot still has not hit his stride as a wing-back in Amorim’s system. He had a couple of nice plays, including a great slide tackle on Jacob Murphy early, but struggled overall. If he can’t play wing-back, there may not be a place for him at United under Amorim next season.

Amad Diallo: 5 – Amad improved as the match wore on but was unable to find a final product.

Joshua Zirkzee: 2 – Joshua Zirkzee had fourteen touches in his 33 minutes and lost the ball seven times, meaning that the Dutch striker turned the ball over on 50% of his touches. Ruben Amorim withdrew him for Kobbie Mainoo, resetting the team before the half. This performance will likely end Zirkzee’s time at Manchester United with the January transfer window upcoming.

Rasmus Hojlund: 5 – Hojlund held the ball up well and had a couple of opportunities come close. However, he again made no impact on the scoresheet.

Substitutes

Kobbie Mainoo: 7 – Mainoo came in at a difficult time and was the one United player who stood out. He should have bagged an assist, but Casemiro botched a golden opportunity to bring United back into the match. When the Reds were pressing and attacking, the play flowed through the 19-year-old.

Leny Yoro: 6 – Yoro finished his 25 minutes with no defensive actions but completed all 26 of his passes. The young defender should have bagged his first United goal on a free header.

Alejandro Garnacho: 3 – Garnacho came in and failed to change the game in any way. He did not complete any of his three dribbles and did not get a shot off.

Antony: NR – Antony made a late appearance but was unable to affect the outcome of the match.

Man of the Match: Kobbie Mainoo