Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim admits he cannot hide from his disappointing record and accepts it is “normal” for club legends to criticise him amid growing uncertainty over his future at Old Trafford.
United’s all-time top scorer Wayne Rooney recently declared on his BBC podcast that “the soul has gone” from the club, adding more scrutiny to Amorim’s tenure.
The Portuguese manager has won only 18 of his 49 games in charge, including nine in 33 Premier League matches, and is still yet to secure back-to-back league victories.
With United languishing in 14th place after three defeats in their opening six fixtures, failure to beat newly promoted Sunderland on Saturday could intensify doubts about his position despite public backing from part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
“It is normal,” Amorim said when asked about Rooney’s criticism. “You can’t run away from the results. Then you have the baggage from last season, although last season for me doesn’t matter.”
Ratcliffe is said to remain supportive of Amorim’s project, but the manager understands results must improve soon.
“Nobody here is naive,” he said. “We understand we need results to continue the project. We will reach a point that is impossible for everyone because this is a very big club with a lot of sponsors, with two owners. Of course, it’s a dream to be here. I want to continue here and I want to fight for this, but the problem is now.”
Some within the club reportedly believe Amorim could resign before being dismissed, a possibility he has acknowledged crossing his mind but insists he will not act on.
“No,” he said firmly. “That is a board decision. I cannot do that. Sometimes I have that feeling and losing is hard. It’s so frustrating when you create momentum, go to the next game and something happens. That feeling sometimes hurts me a lot. But I think it would be really hard to leave if I don’t do everything to follow my career here.”
Off the pitch, Amorim has approved the club’s plan to arrange lucrative mid-season friendlies to boost finances following their failure to qualify for Europe.
United are believed to have lost up to £100 million in revenue after last season’s Europa League final defeat to Tottenham, compounded by an early Carabao Cup exit at Grimsby.
Fellow European giants AC Milan, RB Leipzig, and Sevilla face similar situations, and United are expected to play warm-weather friendlies in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, or Dubai between November and January.
“We have to do it,” Amorim admitted. “We knew that when we missed Europe, we had to compensate a lot of things, including our fans and the budget. So we are putting it all together to do that.”
Supporters largely stood by Amorim after last season’s 15th-place finish, United’s lowest in half a century, believing this campaign would bring improvement.
Yet early performances have failed to convince.
When asked what message he had for the fans, Amorim kept his response brief.
“It’s not the time to say, it is the time to show,” he said. “I look at the games this season and, for me, they are completely different, but I have nothing to say at this moment.”
