'Afraid' Ruben Amorim is at a crossroads: CHRIS WHEELER on how old doubts are lingering at Man United, one star is an odd fit not suited to the manager - and a lack of depth has been exposed

Ruben Amorim began the anniversary of his first game in charge of Manchester United hoping for the big win that could have taken his team into the top-four of the Premier League on goal difference.

He ended it with a chorus of boos ringing in his ears after a 1-0 defeat to 10-man Everton left United in 10th place level on points with David Moyes's side.

Credit to Everton who were magnificent in defending Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall's excellent goal, and in particular goalkeeper Jordan Pickford who made two stunning saves from Bruno Fernandes and Joshua Zirkzee.

But there was plenty of food for thought for Amorim who saw a five-game unbeaten run come to an end and his side take a worrying backward step. Daily Mail Sport analyses what else we learned from a bad night for United.

Zirkzee blows his chance

Joshua Zirkzee has been hankering for a first start of the season to stake his claim for a place in the United team and boost his international prospects with Holland ahead of the World Cup.

Zirkzee got his chance for the first time since he suffered a hamstring injury at Newcastle in April, and it's fair to say he blew it.

The Dutchman has been an odd fit for United ever since he signed from Bologna for £36.5million last year. Neither a natural No.9 or No.10, he struggled under Erik ten Hag and is even less suited to Amorim's 3-4-2-1 system.

Here, he was played as a striker in the absence of Benjamin Sesko and Matheus Cunha, but lacked the presence and physicality for the role. His duel with James Tarkowski was something of a mis-match, and even though one of three headers forced an excellent save from Pickford, he didn't do nearly enough to justify Amorim's faith.

If Cunha and Sesko aren't fit to face Crystal Palace on Sunday, it would be a surprise if the United boss doesn't go with Mason Mount or Bruno Fernandes as a false nine.

'Of course, when you have more players with different characteristics, especially with Cunha or Ben, you have more options to score goals, especially against low blocks where there is no space,' Amorim conceded afterwards.

Zirkzee's career at United has been a rollercoaster from the start; a late winner off the bench on his debut against Fulham, a tearful exit when United fans cheered his early substitution against Newcastle at home in December, redemption in an FA Cup penalty shootout at Arsenal two weeks later, and then a long, frustrating spell on the bench.

It's clear from Amorim's reluctance to start the 24-year-old in a single game this season until now – including the Carabao Cup tie at Grimsby – that he is way off being a regular.

Given the player's need for first-team football with time running out before World Cup, the best solution for all parties would be for Zirkzee to leave on loan in January amid interest from Roma, and then make a permanent move in the summer.

Ruben at a crossroads

There are rarely any grey areas at Manchester United. It's black or white, boom or bust, and Monday's defeat to Everton was a case in point.

A win could have seen United in the top-four, unbeaten in six games, and all the talk would have been about the end of Amorim's first year in the dugout spreading hope and optimism around Old Trafford.

Instead, United are in 10th place without a win in three games amid fears the goodwill feeling is in danger of evaporating ahead of a difficult trip to Palace on Sunday.

It certainly feels as though Amorim has reached another crossroads in his United career. The last thing he needs now is for the old doubts and uncertainties to creep into the minds of his players at a critical point of the season.

'I feel afraid of returning of this feeling of last season,' he admitted on Monday night. 'That is my biggest concern. The players are trying but we need to be better.

'These five weeks, everyone is praising our evolution. I'm always saying the same things: we are not even near the moment we're supposed to be in this club.'

United's fixture list before the Manchester derby in mid-January could be worse: Palace followed by West Ham, Wolves (twice), Bournemouth, Newcastle, Leeds and Burnley. But they have struggled to break down the so-called lesser teams and will need to be considerably more inventive in attack than they were against Everton.

Why not give Shea a shot?

I was at Old Trafford on March 2, 1991 when Ryan Giggs made his senior debut as a 17-year-old for United off the bench against Everton at the birth of a truly outstanding playing career.

It would have been nice to see Amorim hand a similar opportunity to the latest winger to roll off the production line at United, and take a chance on Shea Lacey in Monday's corresponding fixture against the Merseysiders nearly 35 years later.

Lacey is a huge talent and this was his first time in the first-team squad. With United chasing the game and crying out for inspiration in attack, would the introduction of the 18-year-old from Liverpool not lifted the crowd more than Diogo Dalot or even Kobbie Mainoo?

Lacey would have been busting a gut to emulate the likes of academy heroes like Federico Macheda, Marcus Rashford and Mainoo himself, and the United fans would have been right behind him.

United have always been about giving youth a chance, particularly in the wide areas where George Best, Giggs, David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo became household names.

On a night when his team were painfully predictable going forward, Amorim had nothing to lose by rolling the dice with Lacey.

Amorim's AFCON conundrum

As if losing to Everton in the league at Old Trafford for the first time in 12 years wasn't bad enough for Amorim, United's best performers were the same three players who will shortly leave for the Africa Cup of Nations.

Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo, of Cameroon and Ivory Coast respectively, were United's liveliest attackers, while Morocco's Noussair Mazroui did a commendable marking job on Jack Grealish.

Their absence will leave Amorim severely weakened down the right side of his team, although Mount, Fernandes and Dalot can fill in as long as United steer clear of injuries.

But losing the Afcon trio for up to a month after the game against Bournemouth in mid-December is far from ideal after the Everton defeat exposed the lack of depth in this squad.

Ex-Reds shine in blue

There is life after Manchester United and James Garner and Michael Keane provided further proof of it in Everton's richly deserved 1-0 win at Old Trafford.

Garner was excellent and claimed an assist on Dewsbury-Hall's winning goal after being restored to midfield following a spell at right-back in place of the injured captain Seamus Coleman. When Coleman went off inside 10 minutes, Moyes replaced him with Jake O'Brien and wisely kept Garner in the middle.

Keane, meanwhile, was involved in the main talking point of the match when he was slapped by teammate Idrissa Gueye who was subsequently sent off in the 13th minute, leaving Everton down to 10 men for the rest of the game.

Keane led Everton's resistance from centre-back and VAR quite rightly ruled in his favour when United appealed for a penalty after his outstretched leg sent Mbeumo tumbling in the box in the second half.

Both players came through United's famed academy but had to leave to secure regular first-team football and have found it on Merseyside. When Moyes made changes late in the game, he sent on another United alumni, Dwight McNeil, to help see the game out.

A small percentage of players who graduate from United's youth system ever break into the first team, but there is huge satisfaction at Carrington that many of them make it elsewhere.