Ruben Amorim’s future at Manchester United has come under scrutiny sooner than anyone could have imagined, with Grimsby Town defeat a sliding doors moment.
Granted, most of the noise around Ruben Amorim’s future has come as a result of his comments after the game, with him hinting at the players not playing for him anymore.
It is a stark contrast to the positive start to the season, and with the international break looming after the Burnley game, the time for thinking will be plenty.
Here’s what United in Focus can reveal about what Ineos are thinking about Amorim’s future after the Carabao Cup shock.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe of Manchester United performs the ceremonial ribbon cutting at the official opening of the refurbished training complex at Carrington
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Ineos on Ruben Amorim’s future at Man Utd
Amorim has overseen the worst tenure in Man Utd’s Premier League history, which is some doing, considering they’ve broken all sorts of wrong records since Sir Alex retired.
Despite all of that, the last season was effectively treated as a free hit for him.
However, that only served to ramp up the pressure this season, and a winless start to the season has put it up to max.
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Amorim sounded like a defeated man after the elimination at the hands of Grimsby, and United in Focus, speaking to insider Graeme Bailey, can now reveal the mood at Ineos currently.
Bailey said: “[Man Utd] hierarchy are frustrated, but they are not alone, they acknowledge Amorim’s comments and really point out that he is just being honest.
“Not much they can say – the footballing department are all in on Amorim, they made that clear to him in the summer – they don’t expect him to jump off.
“They point out the likes of Cunha and Mbeumo didn’t just want to play for United but also Amorim. United still believe he is one of the best coaches in Europe – no doubt.”
Man Utd need to break the cycle
While there are valid criticisms of Amorim over his handling of some players and stubbornness over his style of play, it’s not a black-and-white situation.
On the balance of all three games so far, United have lacked the cutting edge to put the opponent away, because they’ve had many chances to do so.
A penalty against Fulham, or clinical finishing against Arsenal changes the narrative around this side completely.
More importantly, United need to break the cycle of managers coming and going, because it only empowers the players to down tools.
Ineos have put all their eggs in the Amorim basket, and this is a test of their nerves, because the underlying stats suggest good things could be around the corner.
They must keep the long-term view intact instead of caving to outside pressure. They made that mistake once by keeping Erik ten Hag, they shouldn’t repeat it by sacking Ruben Amorim.