Jamie Redknapp said the ‘jury is out’ on one Manchester United summer signing despite the club’s brilliant victory over Liverpool.
United clinched arguably their biggest win under Ruben Amorim and their first victory at Anfield since 2016 as they beat Liverpool 2-1 on Sunday.
Bryan Mbeumo put the Red Devils ahead inside two minutes but United fans were fearing the worse when Cody Gapo equalised on 78 minutes.
The momentum appeared to be with defending Premier League champions Liverpool but Amorim’s side rallied superbly and went ahead again through Harry Maguire’s 84th-minute header.
Liverpool, with an abundance of attacking talent on the pitch, pressed for a late equaliser but fell short, slipping to their fourth straight defeat in all competitions.
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It was a huge and potentially defining win of Amorim’s tenure and Redknapp was full of praise for United’s transfer business after the win.
Summer signings Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Senne Lammens all produced impressive performances at Anfield and look set to become key players for United over the coming years.
Benjamin Sesko’s prospects look more questionable and Redknapp admits the jury is still out on the £74m signing, who came on for the final 30 minutes against Liverpool.
Sesko was expected to lead the line for United after scoring in back-to-back games before the international break but Amorim felt Cunha and Mbeumo would cause Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate, both aerially dominant, more problems.
‘What Sir Jim Ratcliffe said about Ruben Amorim’s future was quite unprecedented. He almost got ridiculed for it to a certain extent,’ Redknapp said on Sky Sports.
‘But maybe it changed the whole dressing room. The players that maybe weren’t quite keen on Amorim, maybe Ratcliffe’s comments shut everyone up. He’s here, so let’s get on with it.
‘Maybe it created a bit of togetherness. Also, they have signed a couple of gems in terms of Mbeumo and Cunha.
‘The jury is still out on Sesko a little bit but in Mbeumo and Cunha they now have players that look like they deserve to be in a United shirt.
‘They do now look, to a certain extent, a better team. They still need a few more pieces in that jigsaw but there are more positives now.’
Manchester United’s first win at Anfield in nine years leaves the Red Devils ninth in the Premier League, two points behind fourth-placed Liverpool.
Arne Slot is bidding to retain the Premier League trophy but four straight defeats has left Liverpool four points behind Arsenal.
Manchester United legend Roy Keane believes Liverpool have ‘lost a little bit of hunger’ after celebrating the title.
‘Look at Arsenal last night, for how brilliant they are and how confident they are being top of the league, but when they lose the ball, forget about what they are doing in possession,’ he said.
‘They have really good players and are good at set pieces, but it’s about what they are doing without the ball. They are hunting in packs.
‘Tactics are out of the window. They are just closing the ball down all over the pitch. Arsenal’s success, and they still have a lot to do this season, but there joy is coming from hunting the ball down.
‘They have pride and hunger. Have Liverpool lost that a little bit? I think they have.’
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