Former Chelsea, Arsenal and France defender William Gallas thinks Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim could be gone by Christmas.
Amorim endured a miserable time two weeks ago when his United side were knocked out by Grimsby on penalties in the Carabao Cup.
Things looked to be going from bad to worse for the Portuguese as his side looked to be on their way to a hugely disappointing 2-2 home draw against Burnley, but a late Bruno Fernandes penalty won his team all three points.
Somewhat surprisingly, that saw United go into the international break ahead of Manchester City in the table, but the pressure is definitely on at Old Trafford far more than it is at the Etihad.
Speaking to Gambling Zone, Gallas thinks Amorim cuts a forlorn figure on the sideline.
He said: “The problem for Ruben right now is that he looks like he’s struggling for the solution on the bench. He looks like he’s trying to figure things out for the first time, trying to make them play better somehow.
“He looks lost. I don’t think his body language and manner, his emotional response, gives a great impression to his players and the fans of Manchester United. Looking at him, I don’t know if he will make it to Christmas, to be honest, because it feels like United are one defeat or one bad performance away from a crisis.”
Asked what is going wrong for United and Amorim, he added: “Grimsby was a real low point, for Manchester United and for Ruben Amorim. The job he did at Sporting was magnificent, but managing a club like United in the Premier League is a huge step up. The reality is that Manchester United were struggling when he arrived, and they’re still struggling now. This is supposed to be the season where things change at the club.
“Now, things are still going badly. Maybe it’s too much pressure for the manager and the players. Maybe there are too many big egos in the squad. Because where he was before, you can imagine that the Sporting players didn’t have huge ego, so he has to deal with a new management problem. The players at Sporting weren’t as good as United, but he could get them to follow him and be more effective.
“Now he’s got so much pressure on his shoulders, and he looks to be an emotional character. He tried to explain to Kobbie Mainoo that he has to fight for his position. Maybe he doesn’t follow the instructions from his manager, maybe he doesn’t run enough. But instead, Mainoo wanted to leave.
“Amorim looks like Erik ten Hag all over again”
Manchester United
“Right now, Ruben Amorim looks like Erik ten Hag all over again. The job is all about results at this point, and they lost to Grimsby! That is a shocking, poor result. The club can’t afford to lose on the pitch, and it can’t afford to lose any more off it.
“United have the same problems as any other mid-table side, and that’s what they are these days. Sometimes their players lift their games and compete against the best, and they look great. Then they buy players who look good elsewhere, but with the added pressure there is at United, they crumble. Maybe for Amorim, he’s finding the pressure too much himself.”