Jaap Stam factors the finger at Ruben Amorim for ‘holding again’ £72m star as Man United legend names one participant the membership should transfer on

Jaap Stam insists Ruben Amorim‘s style of play is failing to get the best out of Man United‘s forward talent. 

Thirteenth-placed Man United have scored just 37 Premier League goals this season, fewer than the likes of Tottenham (55) and Wolves (40) who sit below them in the table. 

Manager Amorim insisted that the club were doing ‘everything’ to bring a forward to the club during the January transfer window but none arrived while Marcus Rashford, Antony and Sancho were all exiled on loan. 

Stam, who won three league titles at Old Trafford, believes the lack of goals is less to do with personnel and more with Amorim’s style of play.

In a frank interview with Swedish website Makthavare.se, Stam questioned whether the Portuguese boss was getting the best out of striker Rasmus Holjund in particular. 

The £72m striker went 22 hours and 19 minutes without a goal before finding the back of the net in Man United’s last match — a 3-0 victory at Leicester.

Jaap Stam believes Ruben Amorim’s tactics don’t get the best out of Rasmus Hojlund’s talent

Rasmus Hojlund applies an assured finish to end his goal-scoring drought against Leicester

‘I think that it’s the style of play that is holding Rasmus Holjund back,’ said Stam.

‘We don’t know how the manager is trying to use him in matches and I think he doesn’t get a lot of chances to touch the ball and get into games.

‘It becomes a very difficult situation for a striker because you don’t see crosses coming into the box and the emphasis should be on creating chances for him. If you don’t get chances you can’t prove how good a striker you are.’

Despite Man United’s forward woes, Amorim claimed on Monday that Rashford’s revival at Aston Villa was good news for his club.

The England striker scored twice on Sunday to help Aston Villa, where he is on loan until the end of the season, reach the semi-finals of the FA Cup. 

Rashford’s form also saw him called-up for Thomas Tuchel’s first England squad and he started both of March’s World Cup qualifiers. 

The 27-year-old’s upturn in fortunte has only left Stam regretting that things didn’t work out differently and that Rashford did not go on to become an Old Trafford icon. 

‘It’s sad to see Marcus Rashford in an Aston Villa shirt because I thought he would be a very important player for Manchester United and stay for a very long time,’ said Stam.  

‘For me, he cannot be considered a legend at Manchester United, I think he left too soon to be considered as one.

‘When you look at all his seasons at the club and for how many he performed at his best, he had one season under Erik ten Hag in which they changed the style of play and he scored a lot of goals and was a danger to every defence he faced.

‘He got a new contract and everybody expected his form to carry on, but to be considered a true United legend you have to show that form for seven, eight or nine seasons.

That is the level you need to reach to be considered a legend.’

Stam also revealed that he believes Luke Shaw has no future at Man United.

The left-back has been plagued by injuries in recent years and has managed just 98 minutes of action this season.

‘Football clubs need to always look forward,’ said Stam. 

‘You have to move forward with a team you can trust and players that are going to be available and perform week in and week out.

‘I like Luke Shaw as a player, he has a lot of ability, but he is injured so often that as a manager you need to make a choice when it comes to recruitment and build a team that are fit the majority of the time and can handle the load that comes with intense football.

‘I don’t want to be disrespectful to Shaw but the club has to make choices about what is right going forward and that might be to look at a team without him.’