Manchester United have suffered many a sobering night in recent years but the first half against Newcastle is perhaps as bad as it has ever been.

The Magpies went two goals ahead thanks to headers from Alexander Isak and Joelinton inside a comfortable 20 minutes. While the defence struggled with the aerial presence of the Newcastle front line, United had no control of the midfield nor did they have any outlet at the top of the pitch.

As such, Ruben Amorim made the unconventional decision to make a tactical change in the first half as Joshua Zirkzee was replaced by Kobbie Mainoo. With the forward heading to the touchline, loud ironic cheers were heard from the home supporters accompanied with some boos as Zirkzee waited for the ground to swallow him up.

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The summer signing immediately headed to the dressing room after grabbing his jacket but re-emerged moments later. After such a savage reaction from the home fans, MEN Sport has asked our writers for their thoughts on the incident while adding what one pundit thought.

Gary Neville

"He's subbing Zirkzee. I actually feel sorry for him, I really do," Neville explained on Monday Night Football commentary.

"I know he is earning a lot of money but there is a human being in there that is basically being cheered off by his own fans and that is brutal. I have not seen that too many times at Old Trafford in the 43 years I have been coming here if at all happen actually.

"He has had enough and I actually don't blame him. I hope that some of the fans down there actually give him a little something.

"He's not played well, let's be clear, but they have all been absolutely awful. You are watching the worst pound for pound football team in the country out there in red shirts."

Tyrone Marshall

That reaction to Zirkzee is totally out of order for me. He's not good enough for this club, but that is not on him.

What do you expect him to do? Say no to United because he's blagging it? Come on.

That's on the shambolic way this football club is run and another woeful transfer window. Luckily United have no money now so they can't make a mess of January.

Jack Flintham

Yes, Zirkzee has been poor and Neville is right, he is not the only one. I am not of the opinion that sort of reaction is justified for one individual.

I don't think it elicits a positive response from the player and will ultimately lead to Zirkzee retreating into himself. That being said, I think the boos at half-time were more than justified as the team needs to understand that performance is not acceptable.

These performances are no longer an anomaly, they are the rule and it is getting embarrassing. Make no mistake, this is relegation form from United and if it does not improve drastically, they will be looking over their shoulders for much of the new year.

Booing individual players or ironically cheering them being hooked is where I personally draw the line and hopefully it does not effect Zirkzee too severely.

Isaac Seelochan

I feel sorry for Zikzee, but it's hard to imagine him starting for any top Premier League team. It reminds me of when Liverpool signed Andy Carroll. He's just not the right fit and looks hopelessly out of his depth.

Are his days at Old Trafford already numbered despite only arriving in the summer? The reaction of the home fans when he was taken off against Newcastle suggests it might be.

Of course, he's one of several players who are simply not good enough to play for United and I have a lot of sympathy for him. But it is hard to imagine him having a long-term future at the Reds because he's simply not good enough.

I wouldn't be at all shocked to see him return to Italy in Janaury on loan and that would be another damning indictment on Ineos.

James Quinlan

Joshua Zirkzee was certainly not the reason Manchester United found themselves 2-0 down to Newcastle so early, but he is the unlucky man that suffered in a much-needed change.

He didn't exactly contribute much with nine passes and 14 touches, but then he is the striker - his teammates should be getting the ball to him, no?

Fault here falls with Ruben Amorim first of all for selecting a team that was destined to fail, then Christian Eriksen, Casemiro and the entire defence for failing to get the basics correct.

I actually rate that change of Amorim's highly though. He's shown he can hold himself accountable and not waste time before a match is beyond Man United. Whether his players will respond is an entirely different matter...

Back on Zirkzee though, that cheering was brutal. I don't see how he can come back from that, especially after signing for the club a matter of months ago.

Richard Cusack

It was a genuinely shocking moment. I thought it was Newcastle fans sarcastically jeering at Joshua Zirkzee until it became obvious it wasn't just because of how loud the jeers were.

There's no way back from this for Zirkzee, who has struggled since his move from Bologna, and he will probably be looking for a move as soon as the January window opens. It's a real shame it has ended up like this, because for all his difficulties adjusting to Premier League football there have been one or two moments where it looked like there might be a chance for him.

Ultimately this is the modern-day Manchester United in full focus. Managers are sacked and players are signed with no clear strategy. It's a mess.