By Tom Sunderland

Copyright manchestereveningnews

Ruben Amorim is reportedly “losing the dressing room” at Manchester United , but that may not spell his imminent end at Old Trafford . That’s after Erik ten Hag showed the blueprint to prolong his lifespan with the club despite similar reports long before he was finally shown the door. After an all-time worst Premier League finish of 15th last season, United now sit 14th following Sunday’s 3-0 annihilation at Manchester City’s hands . United won’t feature in European competition this term and are already out of the EFL Cup after a humiliating defeat against League Two Grimsby . That has sparked speculation suggesting Amorim is struggling to keep his players onside less than a year into his reign. However, almost 11 months passed between Ten Hag being subject to the same reports and him finally being sacked in October 2024. It was all the way back in December 2023 that Sky Sports first reported Ten Hag had lost portions of the United squad. At the time, it was claimed members of the playing staff were uncertain about his playing style and were unhappy with his handling of Jadon Sancho . Ten Hag’s rift with Sancho was well-known, with the Dutchman raising concerns with the winger’s performances in training early on in the 2023/24 campaign. The former City academy prospect re-joined Borussia Dortmund on loan in January 2024, while United showed signs of improvement over time. Were it not for United’s FA Cup final triumph over City in May 2024, Ten Hag would likely have been sacked sooner. But that result granted him a stay of execution beyond the 2024 summer transfer window, during which he received even more backing from co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his Ineos team. Fast-forward almost two years, and there are some striking similarities between those days of doubt and the current status quo. Amorim was afforded resources to reshape his team in his first summer transfer window at the club while cutting lots of talent deemed to be dead weight. The infamous ‘bomb squad’, comprising the likes of Sancho, Marcus Rashford , Alejandro Garnacho and Antony , have each been moved on, either on loan or as permanent exits. And yet it seems there are still those in the squad struggling to buy in. United boast one win from five outings in all competitions this season. And even then, a contentious injury-time penalty was required to get the better of promoted Burnley at Old Trafford last month. It was always forecasted the team would need time to adapt to Amorim’s preferred method of playing three at the back. But with around £250million spent on new personnel since his he arrived at the helm, patience is running thin as to how much longer it will take before the system starts bearing fruit. Current concerns within the squad are understood to stem from certain senior stars bewildered by Amorim’s stubborn approach. Those players believe the manager is persisting with a blueprint that doesn’t fit the players, yet Amorim has repeatedly suggested he will hold firm in the methods that fuelled his success at Sporting CP. There are major doubts regarding Amorim’s lifespan in Manchester, with many of the opinion the end is nigh for the Portuguese unless there is a serious uptick in results soon. However, the incumbent may have a significant amount of time still to turn a corner if United’s treatment of Ten Hag despite “losing the dressing room” is anything to go by.