Dwight Yorke reveals the real reason Ten Hag was sacked, rips into ‘anxious’ Man Utd stars

Former Manchester United star Dwight Yorke believes Erik ten Hag’s sacking was down to the poor performance of the Red Devil’s strikers this season.

Man Utd are on the verge of appointing Sporting CP boss Ruben Amorim as their new manager after Ten Hag was sacked on Monday, following a defeat to West Ham.

The loss to the Hammers has left Man Utd 14th in the table after nine games – the worst start to a Premier League campaign in the club’s history.

Man Utd have struggled in all areas this season but perhaps more so in front of goal than anywhere else. They have scored just eight league goals – the lowest in the division bar Southampton and Crystal Palace.

“At the end of the day, Manchester United haven’t been good enough in front of goal this season,” Yorke said in a recent interview. “It’s what would have cost Erik ten Hag his job – we’ve been missing far too many chances.

“For a club that is built on the tradition of attacking, to have scored eight goals in nine games is frankly nowhere near good enough. We’ve got the players in the squad to score goals. The quality is there, I think it needs to be untapped.

“Ultimately, that profligacy in front of goal has cost us too many results this season and it’s also cost the previous manager his job.”

READ MORE: Second casualty of Amorim appointment named, with Man Utd to sweep clean

Dwight Yorke: ‘The players are overthinking’

Alejandro Garnacho is the only Man Utd player to have scored more than once in the Premier League this season, with Amad Diallo, Casemiro, Rasmus Hojlund, Joshua Zirkzee and Matthijs de Ligt netting a single goal a piece. Club captain Bruno Fernandes is yet to get off the mark.

The Red Devils have been coached by legendary striker Ruud van Nistelrooy this season but his advice doesn’t seem to be having any impact.

“You can see that the United players have been snatching at chances, and it’s a vicious circle where the more chances you miss, the more pressure builds, and it becomes harder to score,” Yorke added.

“Whereas if United were free-flowing, everything comes naturally. Maybe the players are overthinking, maybe they’re a little bit anxious.”

“I feel the players are playing with tension. I won’t say the lack of ability, it’s more of a confidence thing. Negative vibes can spread very quickly in football teams that are not getting the results that people expect. Everybody puts their heads down.

“I won’t say the players like Fernandes, Rashford and Garnacho aren’t good enough to take the chances that United are creating. Hojlund is in that equation, Joshua Zirkzee is not quite an accomplished finisher, but there is enough finishing ability there.

“The reality is, that this lack of goals boils down to a lack of confidence and that’s down to poor results and the team not playing well. It’s a horrible combination for a football club. United’s players have been snatching at chances and they’re paying the price for it.”

Ruben Amorim transfer plans revealed – sources

As we exclusively revealed on Tuesday, Amorim has already informed Man Utd of three Sporting CP players he would like to bring to Man Utd.

The Red Devils board have made it clear that they want Amorim to improve the recent signings they’ve already made first, such as Manuel Ugarte and Joshua Zirkzee, who he knows well.

But we understand that Amorim would like to bring a new centre-back to Man Utd as he isn’t convinced by their current options and has identified Goncalo Inacio as a key target.

The 23-year-old Sporting star is considered one of the best young defenders in Europe and as previously reported, Liverpool are interested in signing him.

Amorim plays with a 3-4-3 formation at Sporting and reports suggest that he will continue to use this system at Old Trafford, so Inacio could play a key role for Man Utd should they sign him in January.

Amorim is also keen to strengthen Man Utd’s options out wide and sources have informed TEAMtalk that he has discussed the possibility of bringing Sporting wingers Marcus Edwards and Pedro Goncalves to Man Utd. You can read more about Amorim’s transfer targets HERE.

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