The Ruben Amorim experiment has not worked out as planned so far at Manchester United. There is still hope, but it’s time to be practical.
Manchester United supporters had high hopes for Ruben Amorim. But the youngest appointed manager at the club since Sir Matt Busby is still waiting for his project to ignite.
United finished in a lowly 15th place in the Premier League table in 2024-25, and early results in 2025-26 are yet to show an upswing. United rank in 14th after four games, with just one win.
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim looks on prior to the pre-season friendly match between Manchester United and Fiorentina at Old Trafford in 2025 in Manchester, England.
Photo by Ben Roberts – Danehouse/Getty Images
Data provided via Sofascore shows United have scored the 18th ranked number of goals per game in the league, just 1.16 per game.
There is still time and patience for United to turn the situation around, and Ineos are providing him with support.
Insider Graeme Bailey tells United In Focus: “United are backing Amorim, club sources are confirming their position.
“There is no suggestion at this point they are even considering a change, they believe in the plan, the path and long-term future of the current head coach and his ideas.”
Ineos‘ faith in Amorim is admirable, and we hope they will be rewarded. But behind the scenes United need to plan for all eventualities.
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Manchester United must now succession plan
This week I was a guest on the Beyond The Back Four podcast, discussing Manchester United’s current problems and mistakes over the past decade.
Presenter Sam Homewood posed the intriguing question, what one thing should Ineos do to take Manchester United back to the top?
At this point the kneejerk reaction is to think towards signings. Clearly there are much-discussed problems in midfield that will be addressed. But surely we have learned over the past decade that pinning faith in new signings is no guarantee.
It’s about something bigger, and make no mistake, the midfield will belatedly be addressed, and hopefully not too late for Ruben Amorim.
Ineos have the right principles, that they want to back the head coach. There is no immediate appetite for change, as they are clearly desperate to see the man they appointed succeed.
That has been the problem at United in the past. The leadership have been caught lacking by the sudden need to fire the manager, that there has clearly been no succession plan.
It’s important Ineos put this in place for the future. The big way to fix United is to properly prepare for failure, and not get caught in another tailspin.
Jason Wilcox, Director of Football at Manchester United and Omar Berrada, Chief Executive Officer of Manchester United
Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images
United’s three major failed managerial successions
In the moments when Manchester United have been forced into change over the past seven years, there has clearly been no plan in place.
Mourinho fired, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer appointed: After Jose Mourinho’s sacking in 2018, Manchester United had no plan. Their solution was to hire Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as caretaker boss. After getting carried away by his initial success, United ended up hiring the Norwegian on a permanent basis.
Solskjaer fired, Ralf Rangnick takes interim charge: Months after reaching the Europa League Final in 2021 and re-signing Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United gave up on the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer project.
It was not a situation they were prepared for. United made this clear by appointing Ralf Rangnick as interim boss, to try and buy time to hire a replacement. The remainder of the 2021/22 season turned into a total disaster.
Erik ten Hag fired, Ruben Amorim hired: After conducting an offseason manager search and sticking with Erik ten Hag, United were forced to make a U-turn last October when the team’s form tanked, sacking the Dutchman. Ineos instantly went out and hired Ruben Amorim. While it was good to see a plan in place, and executed, it was a deeply flawed one.
There was no consideration that Manchester United’s existing squad was totally ill-suited to Ruben Amorim’s style of football. A major squad overhaul was required, and it is still incomplete two transfer windows later.
What an Amorim succession plan looks like
Manchester United are continuing to back Ruben Amorim, and it’s an admirable stance, he deserves more time to try and put things right. Several summer signings are still bedding in, but we saw last season how results can quickly render the manager’s position untenable.
Ineos simply must consider that based on results so far that Amorim may not be the man to bring the good times back, and that there is a 50/50 chance his project implodes.
And this is where they must do their due diligence now to prepare for the worst, and not just back him blindly.
There are many fans who would favour the return to a 4-3-3 system, except there is one major problem with this – the club’s two top wingers have been jettisoned, with Alejandro Garnacho sold and Marcus Rashford sent out on loan. And even if these players had no future, United would then need to go and out and remodel the squad again.
No, instead United need to find a manager who can implement Ruben Amorim’s system, but do it more effectively and more flexibly.
A potential example is Crystal Palace’s Oliver Glasner, who has enjoyed impressive results with the club while playing a three-man defensive system. The difference is Glasner’s tactics are more efficient due to his own coaching and his instructions to his players. And who knows, this appointment may even help with a future move for midfielder Adam Wharton.
There are other credible managers who would favour a 4-3-3 system, including Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola. United must consider them equally, while asking the question, how many of the current squad would actually suit his system, and what changes need to be made?
If the conclusion is that substantial changes are required to meet his needs, like with Ruben Amorim, it should be a hard no. But if there are just minor tweaks required, then it’s an avenue worth exploring.
What United cannot do, is enter these situations blindly, like we have seen before. It is time for Ineos to get organised, and try to find a stable path that does not result in another total 180 turn.