Ruben Amorim gives verdict on whether Joshua Zirkzee made right choice to pass to Harry Maguire, his stance couldn’t be clearer

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For a Manchester United player there are few better moments than scoring a winning goal at Anfield.

John O’Shea‘s last minute strike lives on in infamy, with many at the time quipping that the Irish defender had just lived Gary Neville‘s dream.

Chances like that don’t come along very often, and Harry Maguire will be haunted by his stoppage time miss against Liverpool on January 5.

United had done the part part, rallying back into the game to claim a 2-2 draw, and Maguire had a chance in the 97th minute to make it 3-2. He hit his shot over the bar.

Harry Maguire missed late after Zirkzee pass

It all happened so quickly, with United incisively cutting through an at sea Liverpool backline, with Arne Slot’s side desperate to go and try and score a winner themselves.

Suddenly the ball fell to Joshua Zirkzee, who almost had too much time to decide what to do.

The confidence-shy forward could have shot and tried to grab a winner himself. He elected not to, squaring a pass for Harry Maguire to try and score an easier opportunity, with the pass taking Alisson out of the equation.

Maguire finished with the conviction of a centre-back with just one goal all season, blazing hit shot off target.

Ruben Amorim gives Zirkzee verdict

Some head coaches might have been annoyed with Joshua Zirkzee for not taking responsibility to shoot.

Ruben Amorim was quizzed after the game whether Zirkzee made the right or wrong decision to pass, and his response could not have been clearer.

Amorim told United media: “For me, I think it was the perfect decision, because he can shoot but he put the ball more in the centre for one guy is running back.

“The ball I think was really slow for Harry to score, but sometimes you can not do it.

“But Josh made a good decision in my opinion.”

Rasmus Hojlund had already seen a similar one v one shot attempt saved late in the first half.

Zirkzee’s pass was one where if Maguire scores, everybody is praising his intelligence and unselfishness.

But with the defender missing, we are left to wonder whether he should have tried to be more ruthless and clinical.

Amorim has given him his backing – but really he was never going to publicly criticise him for his actions, when the forward is regaining confidence after being substituted 32 minutes into the game against Newcastle.