Chris Sutton names two Man Utd players who may down tools under Ruben Amorim

Ruben Amorim has created a ‘real problem’ over two Man Utd players (Picture: Getty)

Chris Sutton feels Manchester United duo Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund may ‘think about not applying themselves’ under Ruben Amorim.

Amorim decided to omit both strikers from his XI against Crystal Palace on Sunday for the first time since his first game in charge against Ipswich.

The United head coach instead played midfielder Kobbie Mainoo in a false nine role, which ended up being a failed experiment, as United lost 2-0.

Sutton believes Amorim has created a ‘real problem’ and has warned that Zirkzee and Hojlund could down tools for the remainder of the season.

Former Premier League striker Sutton, who now works as a football pundit, told the BBC: ‘If you are Zirkzee or Hojlund and you’re seeing Mainoo – who is a really excellent footballer but isn’t a centre-forward or false nine – being picked, you are thinking: ‘How on earth is he playing in front of me?’

‘That is a real problem. Amorim is basically telling the pair of them that he doesn’t rate them in any way, shape or form.

‘He could lose these two players, mentally, for the rest of the season now and they might think about not applying themselves.’

Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee could down tools (Picture: Getty)

Former Arsenal star and fellow pundit Theo Walcott added: ‘Managers sometimes do this to test players.

‘They want to see whether the player is with them or not. It’s going to be interesting to see how Manchester United do cope with this.

‘I just think it’s an interesting dynamic for Amorim to make, particularly if he is so fixed on this formation.’

Meanwhile, ex-United defender Paul Parker has told Metro that Amorim may have been trying to send a message to the club’s hierarchy by benching both Zirkzee and Hojlund against Palace.

‘It could have been a signal to the people above him to let them know that he has no faith in the two players he has tried there,’ Parker said.

‘It’s like having two goalkeepers on the bench. Every fan knows that when a manager puts two keepers on the bench, he’s making a point to those above him that he needs someone. I think it could have been that.’