“It’s the easiest position on the pitch in theory” - Michael Owen slams 3 Manchester United stars who ‘sit there doing nothing’ after loss to Spurs

Ex- Manchester United forward Michael Owen has slammed the club's defenders following the 1-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, February 16. Ruben Amorim's team fell behind early in the game to a James Maddison goal.

The Englishman reacted quickest to Andre Onana parring a Lucas Bergvall strike. The defenders were caught ball watching while Maddison slotted home to secure all three points for his team.

Speaking after the game, as cited by The Metro, Owen expressed his disappointment at Harry Maguire, Matthijs de Ligt, and Noussair Mazraoui's performance.

"What frustrates me more than anything about the Manchester United team is that those centre-halves do nothing during the game. They hardly pick up any players at all, yet when you ask them to do one job – stop the guy who’s shooting – they’re sleeping at that as well," said Owen.

He continued:

"We’ve seen so many clips in the first half when there’s nobody to pick up, there’s three of them literally doing nothing. They won’t push in, they won’t go and mark anybody, they just sit there. It’s the easiest position on the pitch in theory because they’re asked to do nothing. The manager plays so many defenders and none of them are picking anyone up."

He concluded:

"The midfield for Manchester United has to be the hardest place to play in the Premier League and the defence should be the easiest because they literally mark no one, ever. They sit there doing nothing and everyone else is outnumbered all over the pitch."

Amorim's team have dropped down to 15th in the league table after 25 games.

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How many games have Manchester United lost in the Premier League this season?

Ruben Amorim

Manchester United have now lost 12 of their 25 games in the Premier League this season. It marks their largest number of defeats in this stage of the tournament since the 1973/74 campaign, when they conceded 13 losses after 25 games.

Interestingly, the Red Devils were relegated from the top flight that season. Ruben Amorim has registered four wins and eight defeats from his 14 games in the league since taking charge at Old Trafford.

The Portuguese head coach has won 10 and lost nine in 21 games across competitions with Manchester United so far. The Red Devils have lost eight of their last 12 games in the league, winning three. Only Leicester City (9) and Southampton (10) have lost more games during this period.