Michael Owen has been reacting to Manchester United’s lacklustre display at Goodison Park on Saturday afternoon.
Manchester United drew 2-2 with Everton as both teams remain in the bottom half of the Premier League table.
Everton had a 2-goal lead at the break which gave them a major advantage to kick on. That was until Ruben Amorim’s side turned things around and pulled back two goals thanks to Bruno Fernandes and Manuel Ugarte.
United’s defending put the team in a situation where it had been chasing the game but they were unable to get across the line in the end to secure an important win.
The game ended 2-2 with VAR involved in a controversial penalty check that was overruled because Ashley Young dived.
Michael Owen criticises Manchester United defence
There is no getting away from the fact United’s defending was shambolic at Goodison Park.
Former United striker Michael Owen analysed the footage of Beto’s opening goal during the half-time break and slammed United for how they failed to deal with a basic clearance.
Owen accused United of lacking bravery and courage. He even targeted Rasmus Hojlund for not doing enough to deal with the situation.
Speaking on Premier League Productions live broadcast, Owen said: “A couple of them [United players] were lacking bravery and courage. This is awful, heading the ball into the danger zone. Hojlund doesn’t even attempt to head it.”
Amorim has been subjected to some terrible defending since he became United head coach in November. He must add to his squad in the summer if fans are to see any real improvement on the pitch.
United need to dust themselves off and learn from their mistakes. The problem is they are making the same mistakes every week.
Manchester United missing Lisandro Martinez
The injury to Lisandro Martinez came at an awful time for Amorim and his squad.
Martinez’s absence is felt every time United play because he’s the best defender in the team.
Now, without his availability, Amorim is trying to settle on his best defence but it features changes every week.
It would help if Andre Onana, who was poor again, knew which defence he was playing behind each week.