Man United's Carabao Cup exit at the hands of Grimsby Town on Wednesday night highlighted the reality of Ruben Amorim's record as head coach.
George is a Senior Football Writer for the Manchester Evening News, mostly covering Manchester United. He previously worked for football.london before joining the MEN team in July 2021. As well as covering United, George is a Championship-enthusiast and co-hosts The Championship Chat Podcast (@Champchatpod24), which you can find on all major podcast platforms.
Ruben Amorim cuts a frustrated figure on the touchline.
Ruben Amorim needs to oversee a sharp improvement in results.(Image: Shaun Brooks - CameraSport via Getty Images.)
Saturday's Premier League clash with Burnley at Old Trafford will mark Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim's 35th domestic game in charge.
The Portuguese chief, despite the season only being three games old, is already under increasing pressure following Wednesday night's shock Carabao Cup exit at the hands of League Two side Grimsby Town.
Following a 2-2 stalemate at the end of 90 minutes, United exited the competition following a 12-11 defeat on penalties. Bryan Mbeumo, who stepped up to take his second effort of the shootout, missed the decisive penalty, striking the crossbar.
As a result, United have no choice but to focus on the Premier League until they enter the FA Cup at the third round stage in January.
The Reds have no European football to look forward to this season after last term's struggles, meaning they will have to seriously improve their success rate against their domestic rivals if they are to make this season a success.
Since replacing Erik ten Hag last November, Amorim has overseen just eight domestic victories in 34 matches across the Premier League, the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup. The FA Cup victory over Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in January was decided on penalties following a 1-1 draw, and Law 10.2 in the Laws of the Game states that penalty shootouts are separate from the scoreline at the end of 'normal' time.
As a result, Amorim's tally of domestic victories as United boss stands at just eight, of which seven have been achieved in the Premier League.
Since taking charge of United for the first time against Ipswich Town at Portman Road on November 24 last year, United have amassed just 28 points from a possible 87.
You cannot overlook the fact Amorim inherited a difficult situation last season and tried to completely overhaul United's style of play, but this is a club that prides itself on victories and trophies. Wednesday night's events at Blundell Park served as a stark reminder that they are light years away from where they aspire to be.
Ruben Amorim crouches down on the Blundell Park touchline.
Ruben Amorim's domestic record is nowhere near good enough.
Although the season is only three games old, United's failure to get a win on the board thus far is only increasing pressure on Amorim. Is he solely to blame for the current situation? Of course not.
Nevertheless, he is the head coach and was brought to Old Trafford to deliver results. Nine months into his tenure and victories have been few and far between.
Despite highlighting the negatives, I believe Amorim should be given longer to translate his plans to the pitch and be given the chance to bed in his new signings in the hope of a turnaround, given we are just three games into a new season after a £215million summer spend.
United are already onto their sixth permanent boss since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement in 2013, meaning another change in the dugout isn't guaranteed to make any difference.
However, consideration to Amorim's future might become inevitable in the coming weeks and months if the situation fails to improve. Eight wins in 34 matches is simply unacceptable.
With Burnley up next, and the international break to follow immediately after it, failure to collect three points against the Clarets will have severe consequences. A trip to the Etihad Stadium to face Manchester City follows the pause.
The pressure is already ramping up and it will only grow if Burnley aren't beaten at Old Trafford.
But considering United have won just one of their last 11 Premier League matches either side of the summer break, you would not bet against them stumbling again and the pressure on Amorim's shoulders becoming even greater.