In light of Manchester United’s unsettling start to the season, Ruben Amorim might not have to wait long to find a new position if he leaves the team soon.
Amorim was under further pressure after losing to Manchester City 3-0 on the road in Sunday’s Manchester derby. With the defeat to City, the Portuguese coach now has the lowest win % of any permanent United manager since World War II. He has just managed one victory all season.
Having guided Sporting CP to two Liga Portugal championships, the 40-year-old’s reputation was quite high when he initially arrived at Old Trafford. Back home, his charisma had been a big hit, and at the Etihad, he was even considered as a potential Pep Guardiola replacement.
Shock Man Utd Escape Route Given to Amorim
Amorim stated that he hoped to remain at United “for 20 years” following a fruitful preseason trip to the US in July and August. However, the Portuguese is breaking some unfortunate records, and the most recent one is that he is now the manager of the team that has had its worst season start in thirty-three years.
Back in Portugal, the Portuguese had shattered numerous records and effectively made Sporting the largest club in his native country. Although there were initial worries during his tenure, he quickly turned Leoes back into champions, defeating FC Porto and Benfica in the process.
Given that he is at the top of Benfica presidential candidate Joao Noronha Lopes’ wish list, it would seem that his success indicates he still has supporters in Liga Portugal. According to talkSPORT, the front-runner for the position is eager to replace Bruno Lage, who has been under pressure, with Amorim, who played for the Estadio da Luz for many years.
As he leads the polls ahead of the election next month, Lopes is the overwhelming favorite to take over as the club’s new president and succeed Rui Costa. He appeared to support those rumors on Sunday when he watched Amorim’s United lose the derby at the Etihad Stadium with general director Pedro Ferreria and vice-president Nuno Gomez.
Gomes, the vice president of Benfica, is well acquainted with Amorim because he played with the Red Devils tactician both at the club and national team levels. There was interest in getting his close friend back to the Primera Liga, he had told the media.
Amorim’s contract with United is less than two years old. However, fans still have the same sense of doom that followed the final phases of Erik ten Hag and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s tenures as managers. He appears to have INEOS’s support, but his players don’t share that sentiment.
Man Utd Players in Amorim Are “Losing Faith”
Although there don’t seem to be any personal problems between Amorim and his players, they are apparently becoming impatient with his obstinacy on his three-at-the-back strategy. “Change the man” is the first step towards changing the system, he insisted following the Manchester derby.
Despite the terrible run of results during his tenure, he has refused to change the three-man defensive setup, which some of his team aren’t sold on, according to Sun Sport. As soon as he succeeded Ten Hag in November 2024, he put the system into place, but it hasn’t worked out.
Amorim’s biggest issue is that none of the players he took over fit the 3-4-2-1 formation, which calls for a total makeover. The development of the wantaway Kobbie Mainoo has been halted, and Amad has been moved to wing-back, where he must learn a completely new position.
Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford were forced out of Old Trafford by their Portuguese coach, who hasn’t hesitated to annoy the players. Although they supported Amorim with a rebuild, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS team angered the crowd at the Etihad following the City loss.
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