Ruben Amorim is asking same questions of Manchester United players that Erik ten Hag never answered
They said old habits die hard, and for Manchester United, that is proving to be the case. On a miserable Old Trafford night, the worst instincts of the Erik ten Hag era were back in all their gory glory.
The new manager bounce has officially worn off. Ruben Amorim seemed to come into this job with his eyes wide open, but if he was under any illusions that he could wave a magic wand and fix many of the problems he inherited, he would have been corrected in the space of four December days.
United conceded three at Old Trafford for the ninth time since the start of last season, and it could have been more. If their first-half weakness centred around set-pieces, their second-half problems came in open play. They collapsed at the start of the second period, and Forest should have scored more than the two they got in the first 15 minutes after the break.
ALSO READ: Manchester United vs Nottingham Forest as it happened
ALSO READ: Manchester United player ratings vs Nottingham Forest
That they didn't capitalise on that spell allowed United the chance of another Old Trafford comeback, but after Bruno Fernandes got them back in the game, they couldn't round it off. A point, or all three, would have glossed over many of Amorim's current problems.
United conceded the first goal from a corner, a recurring weakness this season that seems to have worsened since Amorim's assistant, Carlos Fernandes, took over responsibility for the organisation. Having got back in the game, they were still well placed to go on and win it at the break.
But starting halves slowly and losing control of games for periods have been long-standing issues, and they combined to cost United. Morgan Gibbs-White's goal to restore the lead was a personal