Who would have thought that in February 2025, Manchester United would be down in fifteenth place in the Premier League and only twelve points clear of the relegation zone? Some may say they saw it coming, but not many would’ve thought things could get as bad as they have, not least Ruben Amorim.
Portuguese head coach Amorim, 40, arrived at Old Trafford as Erik ten Hag’s replacement in November with his non-negotiables and beliefs. He’s repeated multiple times that he’s unwilling to deviate from his vision, no matter how bad things get. But, when Manchester United are no longer appearing as the favourite to win in Premier League betting online against so-called lesser teams, and they’re only two places above the bottom three, surely something has to give?
After fourteen league games in charge, Amorim has overseen just four victories, with two draws and eight defeats accompanying the wins. It works out at a points-per-match average of 1, which is a far cry from what’s expected of Manchester United, especially with the amount of money they continue to shell out on wages. Amorim also arrived after a trophy-laden stint at Sporting, and people are beginning to question his decisions.
Since arriving at Old Trafford, Amorim was quick to deploy his favoured 3-4-3 formation, as it had served him so well at Sporting, and it’s the system he believes in. However, some were quick to point out that Amorim lacked the players who could play to the level required in the formation. At times, it looks more like Amorim is attempting to shoehorn players into his system rather than setting the team up based on the players he has in a shape that suits them.
While Amorim continues to stress that he has belief in his system and that he won’t change, it’s now getting to the point where he may have to change if he wants to stay in post at Manchester United. The Portuguese has stated he’s not worried about himself in terms of his job, but in the club’s last nine Premier League outings, they’ve won two, drawn one, and lost six. They continue to move in the wrong direction and something will have to give.
What makes matters worse is that Amorim was happy to let both Antony and Marcus Rashford leave the club in January, and the former has four direct goal contributions in four games and has won multiple man-of-the-match awards for Real Betis. The latter’s superbly struck free kick for Aston Villa hit the bar and fell to Ollie Watkins, who tapped home. Rashford is starting to look like the player of old, a player United need.
Ultimately, Amorim may be in a position where he has to move from his ideals to get results, not only to save his job and give him a chance to shape the squad in the summer to fit his system but to prevent United from being dragged into a relegation scrap.
