Ruben Amorim’s Old Trafford nightmare continued this season as Fulham became the latest side to rock up in Manchester and walk away with victory.
Man Utd’s FA Cup defence is over after losing 4-3 on penalties to Fulham, courtesy of missed penalties by Joshua Zirkzee and Victor Lindelof.
However, unlike many of the losses at Old Trafford, this wasn’t a surrender, just a display of wastefulness which is becoming a worrying theme at the club.
The players did give it their all, collapsing on the ground due to playing with an undermanned bench, but in the hubris, Ruben Amorim found a new leader.
Ruben Amorim’s bonafide new leader at Man Utd
Amorim hasn’t been shy about letting his team know that the Man Utd squad lacked leaders when he arrived.
In his short time at the club, Bruno Fernandes stands apart as the unquestioned one, and by Amorim’s own admission, Harry Maguire is quickly becoming a leader too.
Beyond them, Manuel Ugarte shows Roy Keane-like signs while Lisandro Martinez is just not available enough to earn that billing.
Against Fulham, Matthijs de Ligt personified what it means to be a leader with an absolutely titanic performance that would put a smile even on Keane’s face.
The Dutchman was everywhere at once, be it creating goalscoring opportunities on set-pieces or repelling danger by running the length of the pitch in extra time.
At one point, he was on his haunches after completing another high-intensity sprint on zero stamina, only to get up and launch into another one to stop a transition for Fulham.
The stats don’t do full justice to what he showed on the pitch but they are still kind nonetheless.
He finished with 73 touches of the ball and completed an insane 18 defensive actions – Nine clearances, five tackles, two interceptions, and three recoveries.
This was in addition to completing 42/50 passes and creating two chances with pure hustle in the box.
He stood as the biggest positive of what this team should aspire to be mentally despite the loss.
Matthijs de Ligt needs to silence doubters
For a player who was once dubbed as this generation’s Franz Beckenbauer, it has been quite a sobering journey for De Ligt since his breakthrough at Ajax.
At Man Utd, De Ligt has been questioned repeatedly by the likes of Paul Scholes, always putting questions marks over his motivation for moving and why he was sold by Bayern Munich and Juventus.
The best thing the defender can do his talk on the pitch with his game, bringing back the player who thrilled everyone with his potential at Ajax.
The signs of that player have been visible in fleeting glimpses this season and the game against Fulham should serve as a launchpad for the player.
United finally saw the version of the defensive titan they thought they were buying in the summer.
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