Manchester United delivered yet another display that perfectly captured the club’s current identity — thrilling in flashes, but deeply frustrating in execution.
Moments of attacking brilliance were quickly undone by lapses in focus, leaving supporters torn between optimism and irritation by the final whistle.
Monday night’s chaotic 4–4 draw with Bournemouth was a stark reminder of that duality. While it may not have reached the sheer insanity of last season’s unforgettable clash with Lyon, it came uncomfortably close.
Under Ruben Amorim, United looked fluid, creative, and dangerous when moving forward, but alarmingly vulnerable whenever they were required to defend, repeatedly cancelling out their own progress.
Without two late interventions from January signing Senne Lammens, United could easily have suffered another damaging home defeat.
Even with his contribution, the result continued a worrying trend: the Red Devils have now dropped seven points across their last three league matches at Old Trafford alone.
Considering the club’s disappointing 15th-place finish last season, such inconsistency may not be entirely unexpected. United currently occupy sixth place, part of a tightly packed group battling for European qualification.
While this represents an improvement in the 2025/26 campaign, conceding four goals on home soil once again highlighted long-standing structural problems.
The encounter followed a familiar pattern. Just as against West Ham earlier this month, United failed to make the most of an early breakthrough.
After going 1–0 ahead, they had opportunities to widen the gap before halftime, with Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo both missing chances that should have put the match beyond Bournemouth’s reach.
For Mbeumo, the night extended a worrying run of form. With the winger preparing to depart for AFCON duty, his display lacked confidence and composure.
He passed up several openings, including a glaring first-half volley, and struggled to assert himself when United needed control and calm in the final third.
At the back, Luke Shaw endured a particularly uncomfortable evening. Charged with organizing a youthful and makeshift defensive unit, the experienced full-back was caught out of position when Antoine Semenyo surged through to equalise just before the interval. Shaw also struggled in possession, repeatedly losing the ball down United’s left flank.
According to Sofascore, he was dispossessed 14 times — a statistic that underlined how badly United miss Lisandro Martínez’s presence.
Ruben Amorim will also be eager for the return of Matthijs de Ligt and Harry Maguire. With defensive options severely stretched, United were exposed by simple, direct passes cutting through the back three.
Bournemouth’s late equaliser from Eli Junior Kroupi summed up how cheaply United surrendered control of the match.
Beyond collective issues, the game intensified scrutiny on one individual in particular. While Amorim continues to emphasise shared responsibility, attention has increasingly turned toward one of United’s major recent investments.
INEOS may already regret some pre-arrival recruitment decisions, notably the £64 million spent on Rasmus Højlund in 2023.
Despite early promise and Champions League success, his form collapsed in his second campaign, eventually leading to his exit.
There are growing fears a similar pattern could emerge with Leny Yoro. Signed from Lille for £52 million in 2024, the teenage defender initially impressed after recovering from injury, playing a key role in last season’s Europa League run.
His composure on the ball and confidence stepping out from defence earned flattering comparisons to Rio Ferdinand.
This season, however, that promise has dimmed. Yoro has struggled for consistency and endured another difficult outing against Bournemouth.
Deployed on the right side of United’s back three, he was withdrawn in the second half after repeatedly surrendering possession and failing to influence United’s build-up.
In just 47 touches, the France U21 international lost the ball nine times, failed to create a single key pass, did not complete a successful dribble, and offered limited defensive authority, winning only half of his duels.
Significantly, Amorim chose to replace Yoro rather than squad player Ayden Heaven — a decision that spoke volumes.
At only 19 years old, Yoro is far from finished. But as United’s experience with Højlund has shown, patience at the elite level is finite. Unless performances improve quickly, difficult questions will continue to follow.
