What Ruben Amorim would have given to have even one player of such experience and gravitas in his dressing room. If either had brought his boots, Amorim might even have picked him, given the bare bones of the squad on show for United’s 1-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.
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Read MoreThere is ability there: Chido Obi-Martin scored a hat-trick for the under-18s this week against the mighty Chelsea and bagged 32 goals in 18 age-group league games last season for Arsenal; Ayden Heaven, also a former Gunner, was worth cash-strapped (see Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s insistence) United spending £1.5m on. But thrown into a game away from home where 15th-place United are in need of a footballing defibrillator is not how anyone would want to blood them.
And you would want Obi-Martin, for example, to be surrounded by leaders too, when he comes on for his debut, who can ease the nerves of a 17-year-old coming on to try and change a Premier League game for the first time. But Amorim himself described United last month has “starved of leaders”, although he has changed tact since and urged his players not to look at the big picture.
“Not thinking, not even look at the table, the schedule, nothing like that.
“But the players, everyone in Carrington, just focus on the next game, the next training, and that is the our goal.”
Certainly not in goal, where Andre Onana inspires no confidence whatsoever. Onana was pinned to his line, seeming to rely on hope rather than positive positioning to deal with crosses from Son Heung-Min and Djed Spence in particular. A better keeper would also have pointed out that Diogo Dalot was giving Son far too much space at the back post, a failing that proved costly for the opening goal.
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Read MoreCasemiro, a five-time Champions League winner, was the most animated after United conceded. He threw his arms up in petulance before turning his back on his defence to stand waiting for Spurs to finish their celebrations.
The 1-0 defeat to Tottenham was by no means the most egregious dereliction of duty by United’s senior players. It wasn’t even their worst performance against this opposition this season, the 3-0 defeat away from home earlier in the season representing the beginning of the end for Ten Hag ranking higher (or lower?).
Maybe if United had scored any of those chances, maybe those dormant leaders would have been ignited. Maybe.
Right now, United are a long way down. And no one is prepared to lift them up.
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