Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville namechecked former Manchester United teammate Eric Cantona amid an eye-opening claim around Ruben Amorim and one first-team Red Devils player.
Ruben Amorim is now looking ahead to Manchester United’s first match of 2026, with the Red Devils travelling to Elland Road to face Leeds United on Sunday.
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However, the Red Devils failed to end 2025 on a high note after United’s disappointing 1-1 draw against Wolves in the Premier League clash at Old Trafford.
United took the lead over Wolves in the first half after wantaway striker Joshua Zirkzee broke the deadlock in the 27th minute of Tuesday evening’s clash.
However, Wolves hit back against United before half-time, with defender Ladislav Krejci netting a superb headed effort past an outstretched Senne Lammens.
Gary Neville’s Eric Cantona message is a sign of where Ruben Amorim went wrong with a key Man Utd vs Wolves moment
Manchester United fans were left scratching their heads after the break when Ruben Amorim made the decision to hook Joshua Zirkzee from the Wolves match.
Goalscorer Zirkzee made way and Jack Fletcher came on in his place for the second half, with United manager Amorim limited with his options from the bench.
Amorim broke his silence on United striker Zirkzee after the 1-1 Premier League draw, with the Red Devils failing to seal all three points at Old Trafford.
The real reason why Ruben Amorim subbed off Man Utd striker Joshua Zirkzee against Wolves… 🤔👀
Did Ruben Amorim make a major mistake taking Joshua Zirkzee off? 😩 Should Benjamin Sesko come off instead of Zirkzee? Let us know YOUR verdict! ✍️
Neville was confused by United manager Amorim in the immediate aftermath of the Wolves match and was unsure if Zirkzee was subbed off because of an injury.
The 50-year-old United legend ruled out a direct comparison between Zirkzee and Eric Cantona, but highlighted three important details from the substitution.
“Zirkzee isn’t Eric Cantona, by any stretch of the imagination, but he needed to be out there for physicality, for presence, for experience,” he told Sky Sports’ The Gary Neville Podcast.
“And he’d scored. You couldn’t take him off. So, I’m hoping he’s injured. I’m hoping he’s injured for Ruben Amorim.”
Gary Neville is bang on with what Man Utd missed without Joshua Zirkzee’s involvement in the Wolves draw
Zirkzee is not Cantona — quite clearly, as Neville highlighted — but the 24-year-old Dutchman’s physicality, presence and experience were important for United.
There was no way that Jack Fletcher could offer United what striker Zirkzee could have provided the Red Devils in the three aforementioned Cantona-esque qualities.
Amorim rolled the dice with teenage midfield talent Fletcher and the numbers did not land on evens, which is not the fault of the United youth academy product.
Neville might irk United fans at times with his assessments of the Red Devils, but he was spot on with what the Red Devils missed without Zirkzee being on the pitch.
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