Roy Keane does not see Manchester United getting any better after branding the team as “physically and mentally weak” following their 4-1 loss at Newcastle.
United were outclassed at St. James’s Park, particularly in the second half as Bruno Guimaraes added to a Harvey Barnes brace to take the game out of sight.
The Red Devils thought they had clawed their way back into the contest after Alejandro Garnacho cancelled out Sandro Tonali’s opener against the run of play before the break, but a defensive capitulation in the second period ensured United came away with nothing.
“United are now physically and mentally a weak team,” Keane told Sky Sports. “That’s 14 league games they’ve lost now and we keep making excuses for this team.
“There’s not enough players that run in the team, there’s not enough players that want to run. You’ve got to dig deep even when you’re up against it, they didn’t do that in the second half.
“Look at Newcastle, they were outstanding and are used to winning big games now, they’ve got into a really good habit. But United are the opposite and they got what they deserved.
“We spoke before the game that there are signs this Man United team are getting better, but I can’t see it. I saw another poor performance, particularly in this second half. Not good enough, and I worry for this group of players. They don’t look like a strong group, mentally.”
The result catapults Newcastle back into the top four with a game in hand, while Man United continue to languish in the bottom half of the table, solely relying on Europa League success to save their season.
But with their quarter-final tie with Lyon finely poised at 2-2, Amorim will struggle to find confidence in his defensive and goalkeeping options, with Altay Bayindir failing to make a good impression on a rare start after error-prone Andre Onana was left out of the squad.
