“He’s a player lacking in confidence” - Paul Scholes disagrees with Ruben Amorim’s comments about Manchester United star after Liverpool draw

Manchester United legend Paul Scholes disagreed with Ruben Amorim's comments about Joshua Zirkzee after their draw against Liverpool. He believes the Dutch striker should've attempted the shot in the final few minutes of the game on Sunday.

The Merseysiders hosted their arch-rivals Manchester United at Anfield in the Premier League. An enthralling second half saw the scores level at 2-2 going into the stoppage time. Zirkzee then received the ball in a good position in Liverpool's box but decided to pass it to Harry Maguire instead. The Englishman's wild effort flew over the goal and the match ended in a draw.

After the game, Ruben Amorim said that Joshua Zirkzee's decision to pass it to Maguire was correct. He said (via Metro):

"For me, I think it was the perfect decision because he can shoot but he put the ball more in the centre. The ball was really slow for Harry to score but sometimes you cannot do it. But Josh made a good decision in my opinion."

Paul Scholes, however, believes otherwise as he said:

"It could have been [a huge moment] for him. ... Zirkzee had a great chance to do it. He’ll probably look back and think, 'Well, I probably made the wrong decision', but he’s a player lacking in confidence. He has been dragged off after half an hour [against Newcastle], his chin is on the floor and he comes on at Anfield in a really difficult place.

"He gets in a really good position, great run, great ball into him and you think, 'Come on, this is it for you!', and he didn’t quite take it. But I’m hoping that there’s opportunities in the future where he will probably change his mind."

Zirkzee was notably booed by Manchester United fans at Old Trafford after he was subbed off in the 33rd minute against Newcastle United last week.

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Manchester United hold Liverpool to a draw after an enthralling second half

Coming into the match on Sunday, Liverpool were the favorites after their excellent start to the season under Arne Slot. They have lost just one game across competitions and sit atop the Premier League table. Manchester United, meanwhile, were 14th before the game and on a run of four straight defeats.

After a goalless first half, Lisandro Martinez gave the visitors the lead in the 52nd minute with a brilliant strike past Alisson. Cody Gakpo replied with a thunderous strike of his own in the 59th minute. Mohamed Salah then converted a penalty in the 70th minute to make it 2-1 for Liverpool. However, Amad Diallo made sure his side left with a point, equalizing in the 80th minute.

Arne Slot's side remained at the top of the Premier League table while Manchester United moved to 13th. Liverpool will next face Tottenham Hotspur away in the EFL Cup semi-final first leg on Wednesday, January 8. The Red Devils, meanwhile, will face Arsenal away in the FA Cup third round on January 12.