Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has only been in charge for 21 games – but an “early divorce” is on the cards already.
The former midfielder left a title-winning Sporting team in his native Lisbon in November to replace the outgoing Erik ten Hag, as minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe's first appointment as manager at Old Trafford. Amorim's tenure in the Premier League has been a chaotic one to say the least, however, with issues on and off the pitch affecting his ability to implement a new 3-4-2-1 formation with this group of players.
After a series of high-profile talking points such as Dan Ashworth's exit from a sporting director role and Marcus Rashford's exile from the squad, Amorim's place in the dugout has been questioned by fans and pundits alike.
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim “continually emphasised that he was not a miracle worker”
Despite beating Manchester City in his first month in charge and rekindling form in Rashford to get the England forward firing three goals in his first two games at the helm, Amorim's Manchester United have since dipped.
The Manchester derby win was swiftly followed by three consecutive losses in the Premier League without scoring, with another three following in the next six games. United currently sit 15th in the table and will be without Amad Diallo for the rest of the season – perhaps United's best player since the Portuguese took charge – with the wide man suffering an ankle injury.
Now, the Mirror have emphatically detailed why Amorim could now quit the Theatre of Dreams, in a five-point report outlining the failings at the club.
Amorim was ranked at no.11 in FourFourTwo's list of the best managers in the world right now prior to leaving the Primeira Liga, with the Mirror now claiming that he may want to jump ship to “save his reputation”. They also point to tactical issues, a lack of backing in the transfer market and chaos behind the scenes.
Former Sky Sports presenter Richard Keys has also weighed in on the situation on his blog, claiming that Amorim himself wants out from the club after making a big mistake and calling the 20-time English champions “a laughing stock”.
“I genuinely want to see United back at the top table of English football, but they’re light years from re-joining the best,” Keys wrote. "They’ve got a manager who clearly doesn’t want to be there – a cycling expert in charge of football matters and an owner flailing about without a clue what to do next – except sack more good people."
FourFourTwo, however, understands these claims to be completely wide of the mark, with sources telling us that Amorim will categorically not be leaving the club.
Despite both the Mirror and Keys suggesting otherwise, the 40-year-old remains 100 per cent committed to the Red Devils despite the tumult so far. Amorim knew exactly what he was walking into when he took the job and furthermore, he is not currently at threat of being sacked by the hierarchy.
