Ruben Amorim's future at Manchester United is back in the spotlight after Sunday's chastening 3-0 defeat in the Manchester derby.
Man Utd head coach Ruben Amorim.
Ruben Amorim oversaw a third loss in five games this season.(Image: Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Manchester United legend Gary Pallister believes that Sunday's chastening 3-0 defeat to Manchester City won't have an immediate effect on Ruben Amorim's future.
United were routinely beaten at the Etihad Stadium, with Phil Foden breaking the deadlock before a second-half brace from Erling Haaland. It leaves United with just one win from their opening five matches - in all competitions.
Amorim, who was appointed as Erik ten Hag's replacement 10 months ago, has won just eight of his 31 Premier League games in charge, giving him a woeful 26 per cent win ratio. The Manchester Evening News understands that the Old Trafford hierarchy still have faith in Amorim and aren't mind to sack him.
Pallister, who won four league titles in the early years of Sir Alex Ferguson's golden tenure, says that United will show "patience" with Amorim. But he's warned the 40-year-old that more questions will be asked if results don't pick up, especially if he continues to be wedded to his 3-4-2-1 system.
Reacting to the derby disappointment, Pallister exclusively told The Manchester Evening News, via online betting site BetWright: "I don't think it's going to impact his future at the moment.
"Without [Matheus] Cunha, without Mason Mount... Cunha, I think, brings a bit of personality and character to the team. I think Mason was desperate to do well. I think he started [the season] okay. And then we lose them both to injuries.
"I think there'll be patience. Everybody's going to put him under the pump for sticking with the back three. It's not what a lot of teams do. And the longer it goes, and the longer we struggle with it, the more questions are going to be asked."
Amorim has so far refused to deviate from his preferred formation which worked wonders at former club Sporting CP. His title-winning success in Portugal convinced United to hand him a contract until 2027.
Former centre-back Pallister continued: "Whether it's in his mindset to think about playing a back four... I'd love to be a fly on the wall in the dressing room to see what the players think about it.
"Sometimes you can hide behind that.
"I mean, players are players. At the end of the day, you win your battles. It's you against your centre-forward. It's you against the guy in midfield. You win your personal battles.
"And if you do that, the team's probably going to get success. You can. Whether you play a back three or a back four. And the goals we conceded were probably down to individual players' mistakes."
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