The clock is ticking on Ruben Amorim at Manchester United. The Portuguese has struggled to live up to the billing since taking charge at Old Trafford in November last year.
Amorim’s time at the Theatre of Dreams has been marked with some ridiculous records, including his team’s inability to win two back-to-back games.
That was exactly what the Red Devils were hoping to achieve against Brentford on Saturday. Amorim’s men arrived at the Gtech Stadium in good spirits following their 2-1 win over Chelsea last weekend.
Interestingly, the victory agains the Blues was the first time United had won two consecutive home games in the league under the Portuguese. With Brentford struggling for form this season, the Red Devils were expected to secure all three points this weekend, but it wasn’t to be. The Bees ran riot at home, securing a 3-1 win and further piling the pressure on Amorim.
A scandalous win ratio
Amorim has won just 18 of his 49 games in charge of United, losing 19 others, and has a win ratio of 36.73%. The Red Devils are now 14th in the league table after six games this season, with two wins and three defeats to their name.
Interestingly, the English giants ended up 15th in the Premier League last season, yet INEOS opted to put their trust in their Portuguese head coach. They even backed him on the market, spending over £200m on new signings, but results are yet to improve.
United are already out of the EFL Cup this season, where they lost to League Two club Grimsby Town in the Second Round.
Supporters, understandably, are on a short fuse and many are treating the defeat to Brentford as the final nail in Amorim’s coffin. Recent reports, interestingly, have suggested that Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been in touch with former England manager Gareth Southgate, who is among the shortlisted candidates to replace Amorim at Old Trafford.
No knee jerk reaction
However, according to journalist Simon Stone, United are willing to be patient with Amorim despite the slow start to the season. Ratcliffe reportedly believes that the Portuguese head coach’s efforts should only be assessed at the end of an entire campaign.
As such, INEOS are not planning any major decision on Amorim’s future at the moment and are backing him to turn things around at Old Trafford. The report adds that club officials have also rubbished news of candidates being shortlisted as the former Sporting manager’s replacement.
The Red Devils have now collected just 34 points from 33 league games under Ruben Amorim. They next face newly promoted Sunderland at Old Trafford on Saturday, October 4, in the league.
The Black Cats have won three of their opening six games and are fourth in the Premier League table this season. Amorim, as such, won’t have it easy against Regis Le Bris’ team, and another defeat could compound his misery at the Theatre of Dreams.
Featured image Richard Pelham via Getty Images
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Deepungsu Pandit
Deepungsu has been a Manchester United fan since 2000. In his playing days, he was an attacking midfielder with a proclivity for the back heel. Right now, however, he prefers to operate as a regista. Deepungsu has been writing about the Red Devils, Football, and other things since 2009. His favourite Manchester United player is Paul Scholes.
