For more than an hour at Old Trafford last night, Manchester United’s refusal to sign a striker in the transfer window looked like an act of sheer folly.
They trailed Premier League strugglers Leicester City and hadn’t even managed a shot on goal. Ruben Amorim was facing his second Old Trafford defeat in the space of six days and the FA Cup holders were facing the lamest of exits.
Amorim had talked before this fourth-round tie about the ‘risk’ of allowing Marcus Rashford to join Aston Villa on loan without signing a replacement before the window closed, and it was about to backfire spectacularly after a lifeless first-half display.