Ruben Amorim arrived at Manchester United to much excitement, billed as the man to bring the Red Devils back to their 'rightful place' at the top of the English football pyramid. So far, this has been far from the case.
Many thought he wouldn't be able to do much worse than Erik ten Hag, who left the Premier League club down in 14th when he was sacked in October. But things have gone from bad to worse under Amorim, with Man United 16th with one game to go – having lost 18 league games in total this season.
Of course, he can't be blamed for all this, and could yet win the Europa League, but by his own admission, the Red Devils have been far from good enough of late.
Pundit Gary Neville is often critical of his former team but has recently called for Amorim to be given more time before anyone begins to judge him too harshly. He told The Athletic:
“I think this time next year we’ll know a lot more, when we see whether Ruben can build a successful team. Christmas next year we’ll know a lot more, because I think Ruben needs to get that second transfer window."
Ruben Amorim is Doing Worse Than Gary Neville
Ex-Valencia coach had a better win rate than Man United boss
Neville's call for patience seems fair, but when you look at a certain set of statistics, you wouldn't blame fans for being a little concerned. After all, Neville's ill-fated 28-game spell as Valencia manager is often cited as one of the worst tenures in European football history. The Spanish club's ex-president Paco Roig famously said: "That Englishman we had, he was honestly the worst coach I've ever seen in my life.”
However, Sky Sports have released a graphic, comparing Amorim's stats with Neville, and it's eye-opening to say the least.
Ruben Amorim vs Gary Neville Manager Stats Compared
Manager
Club
Games
Defeats
Win Rate
Goals Scored Per Game
Goals Conceded Per Game
As the stats show, having played a similar number of games, there is every argument to say that Neville was doing a better job in La Liga than Amorim is doing in the Premier League. After all, the Englishman has a better win rate, scored more goals per game, and conceded fewer.
The Red Devils have been such a mess for so long now. As such, Amorim's struggles deserve some sympathy, but if he can't turn momentum around soon, it won't be long before a new head coach is standing in the Old Trafford dugout.
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