Dwight Yorke has warned Manchester United fans not to be fooled by last weekend’s derby win and fears Ruben Amorim still has just two players he can genuinely rely on.
After successive defeats against Arsenal and Nottingham Forest, the enthusiasm generated by the appointment of a new, highly-rated young manager was beginning to wane.
The manor of last Sunday’s win at the Etihad, however, has provided a welcome boost although Yorke has sounded a note of caution following the smash and grab raid inspired by Amad Diallo’s late heroics.
‘The City win brings joy to a few faces on the day and probably for a couple after, but, again, the United performance was appalling until Nunes gave us a route back into the game with the penalty,’ Yorke told sportslens.com
‘We’re sitting in thirteenth in the league, there’s nothing there to smile about. We’ve come up with one good result in the league, so that’s something to cheer about, but overall, we know it hasn’t been anywhere near good enough for a club like Manchester United.
‘We’re not convincing anyone. In the City game, we didn’t have a shot on target in the first half. If you’re a real football guy and you analyse United, you know we are so far off the pace, it’s untrue.
‘A result against City does give you confidence, even though we know City are also in a bad place and going through their difficulties. United took advantage of that. The red side of Manchester will be buzzing, and the blue side will be suffering, but the shoe’s been on the other foot for a long period of time, so it’s nice for the United fans to enjoy that moment.
‘Real United fans, the people behind the scenes, they know how far away United are from where they should be, and they know it will be a long road to get back to the top. I think most people would also say, if they were being honest, United pickpocketed City on Sunday too.’
While there were several encouraging displays against City, Yorke remains to be convinced by a number of core first team players and has warned Amorim only Diallo and skipper Bruno Fernandes can truly be relied upon.
He sadded: ‘I would think Amad would be one now. I think he will be the first one that stands out and the first name that Amorim can put on his team.
‘He’s a player for the future and he’s a player to build around. Bruno Fernandes, he’s still one of the better players, even though he huffs and puffs. He does his thing, but you can’t ignore his quality.
‘I think he can still give United something, but he’s just turned thirty, so you can’t build around him for the next five years. Amorim can’t hang his hat on Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund.
‘I used to say that he could hang his hat on Rashford, but he can’t do that anymore. United are missing a brilliant central midfielder who can run a game for you and get you out of trouble when you’re under the kosh. I’m struggling to give you three names.
‘There’s a lot of dead wood in that place; I have to be honest with you. I don’t think there are three players that he can build around, I can only give you Amad and Fernandes.’