Ruben Amorim’s comments ahead of Manchester United’s Carabao Cup second-round tie against Grimsby Town have not landed well with sections of the fanbase. United enter the competition at the same stage as the lowest-ranked Premier League clubs this season, a direct consequence of last year’s disastrous 15th-place finish – their worst league outcome since the division’s 1992 rebrand.
The new campaign has done little to lift the mood. After two matches, United remain without a goal from open play, slipping to a 1-0 home defeat against Arsenal before being pegged back to a 1-1 draw at Fulham. Instead of offering reassurance, Amorim’s pre-match remarks have sparked further unease, with many supporters interpreting them as a sign that real progress may be elusive.
For a club that spent heavily in the summer with hopes of a revival, the early stumbles – and the manager’s guarded tone – have compounded doubts. Now, it's clear that some of the fanbase are turning on him already this early into the 2025/26 campaign.
Ruben Amorim Calls For Patience As Fans Start To Lose Faith
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As heard in the stands during both of the Red Devils' first two fixtures of the season, Amorim retains much of the faith in him from match-going supporters. However, his latest remarks have been overwhelmingly unpopular online. Ahead of his side's League Cup fixture, he said about his team (watch the full segment below):
"We were not prepared to play Europe. [we were not prepared] to play strong games in the Champions League and then in the Premier League. We need time to develop as a team."
The former Sporting Lisbon boss has been in charge at Old Trafford for 10 months, but for many supporters, his insistence that he still needs time to develop the team rings hollow. They’ve watched Arne Slot lift the Premier League title in his very first season and seen Thomas Frank quickly imprint a new identity and style on Tottenham.
Against that backdrop, some United fans are growing restless, eager for clearer signs of what the Amorim era is supposed to look like. "Defeatist mentality," one X user labelled his comments, while another remarked: "What an embarrassing guy. No wonder the players look like they aren’t even trying if they hear their manager talking like a loser." Elsewhere, a third commented:
"Isn’t that his job? To prepare the team for Europe? This might be the greatest scammer in Premier League history. Sir Jim and INEOS need to clock this guy"
A fourth continued: "A Manchester United manager should never say this!" as a fifth added: "Just what I wanted to hear from a Man United manager..." Meanwhile, another X user harshly concluded: "Sack this man, end his suffering."
United’s next Premier League test is a home clash with newly-promoted Burnley – on paper, the kind of fixture that should give Amorim and his side a much-needed breather. But nothing is ever straightforward in football, and another slip here would only intensify questions over his ability to steer the club back toward its glory days. The pressure is already visible, with betting companies listing as many as 18 potential successors.