Ruben Amorim delivered two stunning post-match interviews following the defeat to Grimsby Town that strongly suggested he feels his Manchester United players want him sacked.
A £200m-plus attacking rebuild bred optimism ahead of the new campaign at Man Utd. However, it’s taken just three games for the Red Devils to hit crisis point once again.
United have failed to win any of their matches thus far and sunk to a new low when crashing out of the League Cup to fourth tier Grimsby Town on Wednesday night.
Amorim did make changes for the tie, though with the likes of Harry Maguire, Manuel Ugarte, Kobbie Mainoo, Amad Diallo, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko in the eleven, few could have predicted what was to follow.
Ultimately, Man Utd were taken to penalties and bowed out in sudden death after Bryan Mbeumo struck the bar with his second spot-kick.
Speaking after the match, Amorim did not mince his words in a series of interviews with ITV and Sky Sports.
“I am shocked because we are in the moment when we make a lot of changes, ” Amorim said on ITV. “We try to fight a lot of things but then when we have these moments, we need to show up.
“If we don’t show up, you can feel that something has to change and you are not going to change 22 players again.”
Realistically, the only change Man Utd can make if not overhauling the squad once again is the manager.
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Amorim turns spotlight on no-show Man Utd stars
When interviewed by Sky Sports Amorim made several stunning claims that suggested he believes his players don’t have his back.
Amorim stated there was only one team on the pitch, claimed his players “spoke really loud” with their dire displays, and suggested his pre-match instructions were ignored.
“With all due respect, when you play against a fourth division team, it’s not the goalkeeper, it’s everything,” said Amorim.
“It’s the environment, it’s the way we face the competition. We know that in the moment, people will pay attention to everything, it’s massive – every detail. We showed that performance today. My players spoke for me, really loud.
“It doesn’t matter if we recover [from 2-0 down] or not. It’s the signs the team made during the game. The beginning of the game.
“I know that the best team won, the only team that was on the pitch. The best players lose, because one team can win against any group of players.
“I think the team and the players spoke really loud today. That’s it. We lost. The best team won.”
Asked to clarify what he meant by his players speaking “really loud”, Amorim added: “It’s really clear what they spoke. Let’s move on from this day. I think it was really clear for everybody what happened today.
“It’s not just the space, but the way we started the game without any intensity. All the ideas of the pressure, we were completely lost. It’s hard to explain. That’s what they spoke really loud.
“When you lose but you see something new, it’s different. When you see something different like today, it’s hard to talk about that.
“I just want to say I’m really sorry to the fans. The support they give me, the support that they are always, with all the defeats, with the team, today I have nothing to say apart from sorry.
“I think they gave the response on the pitch today. Now, we have a game in the weekend and then two weeks off. We will solve things out.”
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