Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim during a press conference at the Reale Arena in San Sebastian
Ruben Amorim's latest comments have case more doubt over Manchester United's Project 150 dream
Days after voicing his desire to bring the Premier League title back to Old Trafford, Ruben Amorim has cast doubt over Manchester United's chances.
The manager's comments follow the news that club bosses will abandon Sir Jim Ratcliffe's Project 150. The initiative was formed with the aim of winning a league title by 2028, which will be the year United celebrate their 150th anniversary.
It's understood those in power don't see that as an achievable objective, with the Red Devils struggling to escape their decline in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era. Amorim is the latest manager to struggle to yank United out of the doldrums, with the club sitting 15th in the Premier League ahead of Arsenal's visit on Sunday.
Erik ten Hag led United to their all-time lowest Premier League finish of eighth last term, but Amorim is on track to place even further down the rankings. The Portuguese has now offered his candid opinion on the issues at Old Trafford, commenting on the "scars" at United that need healing.
"To tell you the truth, I feel sometimes there are scars in our team, in our players," he told Sky Sports. "They are good players, but they (scars) are so deep, they are so long here that it is hard to change things in one moment.
"Some players had one coach and then comes a new coach, new hope, new momentum and then we go to the same place. Imagine this for any person, in any job. Imagine this as a player, with all the media and social media. So it's really hard to turn things around just like that."
More than a decade has passed since Ferguson won United's most recent league title in 2013 when he bid farewell as manager. The club has won five major titles in almost 12 years since then while falling way off the pace set by rivals like Liverpool, Manchester City, and Arsenal.
Supporters are expected to wear black during Sunday's clash at home to Arsenal as a message to show the club is "dying." A recent reveal of United's finances showed the club's debt has risen to £515.7million, while revenue and profit is down in almost every area.
Amorim arrived to much fanfare in the autumn, with many of the belief things couldn't get worse after Ten Hag led the team on its worst start to a Premier League campaign. But Amorim has struggled to improve matters, winning 10 and losing nine of his 25 games in charge so far.
Manchester United and Everton supporters take part in a '#stopexploitingloyalty' protest organised by the Football Supporters Association outside the stadium prior to the Premier League match between Manchester United FC and Everton
United fans continue to protest the club's ownership and will wear black against Arsenal on Sunday to send a message
That hasn't harmed his sense of ambition, however, as he recently voiced his desire to put United back on top of the English pyramid: "The goal is to win the Premier League. I know we are losing games but the goal is to win the Premier League again. I don't know how long it will take. We have a goal and we continue forward no matter what."
Meeting the Project 150 target of doing so in the next three years certainly looks unrealistic as things stand. Amorim will be expected to enact change when he has his first summer transfer window in charge later this year, with the extent of the task ahead becoming apparent.
Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from Mirror Football. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.