Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim (39) defended his striker Joshua Zirkzee (23) after the forward was cheered off the pitch by his own supporters.
The forward was substituted by Amorim in the first half of their 2-0 loss to Newcastle United.
Zirkzee was the sacrificial lamb after a terrible opening for the Red Devils, coming off for Kobbie Mainoo.
The supporters booed Zirkzee and cheered his replacement, prompting Gary Neville to say on Sky Sports: “I know that he’s earning a lot of money but there’s a human being in there that’s basically being cheered off by his home fans and that is brutal.”
Head coach Amorim said: “You have to think about the team. The player is suffering during the game. We needed another midfielder. It was tough on me to do that, I talked with Joshua on that.
“I’m always thinking about the team. At that moment it was important for him to come out.”
“I know that Josh is a really good guy. When he went to the tunnel, I can understand that some guys can be in a bad way but he is a really good lad.
“It is life, and we will support Josh and continue. Newcastle were better than Manchester United, they weren’t better than Josh.”