‘Baffling’ – Sky Sports pundit blasts Amorim’s crazy decision that cost Man Utd… and legend Phil Jones agrees.

According to The Sun: Following Manchester United's shocking defeat to Grimsby, coach Ruben Amorim's actions have been described as 'crazy' and 'mysterious'.

The coach missed the game from the bench as his star-studded team lost in the second round of the Carabao Cup to a club that's 58 places lower in the English football pyramid.

After 30 minutes of play, the score was 0-2 in favor of Grimsby, and Andre Onana made several mistakes in goal.

To change the situation, Amorim decided to make three substitutions at halftime: Bruno Fernandes, Bryan Mbeumo, and Matthijs de Ligt. Also, Mason Mount came on for Aiden Heaven, leaving the team with only two natural center-backs.

However, the decision to place Mount at left wing-back instead of central midfielder and continue to play in a five-defender format raised many questions.

Statements after the defeat

Criticism began to come from club legends, including Phil Jones and Jobi McAnuff. Jones noted:

“When he changed and put Mount in that position, they were still playing with the five defenders, but trying to build the play against Grimsby, who were sitting on the edge of their penalty area.”

McAnuff added that in such situations, more attacking players should be on the pitch:

“How many times in this setup do we see De Ligt being the spare player when it should be an attacking player entering the box.”

Results and future prospects

After the defeat, Amorim apologized for the team's performance, admitting that only one of the teams demonstrated a level of play:

“I truly apologize to the fans. The support they have given me is immensely important.”

Now the Grimsby team prepares for their game against Sheffield Weds in the third round of the cup, while United returns to the Premier League to play against Burnley. The next match could significantly impact Amorim's future at the club.