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Manchester United's Portuguese head coach Ruben Amorim (L) shakes hands with Manchester United's Cameroonian goalkeeper #24 Andre Onana (R) at the end of the English Premier League football match between Ipswich Town and Manchester United at Portman Road in Ipswich, eastern England on November 24, 2024. - Ipswich Town and Manchester United equalised 1 - 1. (Photo by Darren Staples / AFP
Ruben Amorim acknowledges that his tenure as Manchester United manager could be short-lived unless he can turn around the fortunes of the struggling English giants.
The initial optimism surrounding the 39-year-old Portuguese coach’s appointment following Erik ten Hag’s dismissal, has faded amidst concerns over United’s poor form.
Thursday’s 2-0 defeat to Wolves marked the Red Devils’ third consecutive loss in all competitions, following a League Cup quarter-final exit to Tottenham and a humiliating 3-0 home loss to Bournemouth.
After the Wolves match, Amorim admitted he had “no idea” how long it would take to revive the team, focusing instead on “survival” during what has been United’s worst start under a manager in nearly 100 years.
Amorim is the first United boss to lose five or more of his first ten matches since Walter Crickmer in 1932, with the club currently languishing in 14th place.
The situation is grim, with United closer to the relegation zone than the Champions League spots as they prepare for their final match of 2024 at home to in-form Newcastle on Monday.
Speaking after the Wolves defeat, Amorim said, “The manager of Manchester United can never, no matter what, be comfortable. I understand the business I’m in. I know that if we don’t win, regardless of whether they paid my buyout clause or not, every manager is in danger. I like that because it’s part of the job.”
At Molineux, United captain Bruno Fernandes was sent off for a second yellow card shortly after half-time, with Wolves’ Matheus Cunha scoring directly from a corner. Cunha later assisted substitute Hwang Hee-chan to seal a 2-0 victory deep into stoppage time.
Amorim admitted that joining mid-season has compounded the challenges he faces:
“There’s no point in talking about whether I could have finished the season at Sporting Lisbon. I’m here now, and I have to focus on the job. Difficult moments are part of football, and I knew it would be tough. Right now, it’s really hard. We need to survive to buy time and then improve the team.”
AFP
