Manchester United have no plans to sack Ruben Amorim before Saturday’s clash against Sunderland, though a poor result against the Black Cats could have serious implications for his future and with the under-fire manager considering significant changes to his line-up, sources can reveal.
The Manchester United board have been placed in the unenviable position of having to consider their manager’s future less than 11 months after appointing him as the successor to Erik ten Hag. Currently a lowly 14th in the Premier League table, the Portuguese coach has struggled to get a consistent tune out of his squad and despite being backed with hefty transfer funds this summer.
As it stands, Amorim is currently presiding over the worst manager record by any permanent boss at Old Trafford since the Second World War. And with the gap to table-topping Liverpool already at eight points and having been dumped out of the Carabao Cup by League Two Grimsby, the excuses are starting to run thin.
The message coming out of Old Trafford, though, is that United still want and hope for Amorim to succeed, and judgement was always expected to be held off until the season’s end.
However, their alarming start to the season has significantly intensified the spotlight on the 40-year-old, though sources have revealed the club has ruled out a change in the dug-out before Saturday’s clash at Old Trafford against Regis Le Bris’ side.
Despite that, a negative performance and result against the Wearsiders could have catastrophic consequences for Amorim, who, it has been claimed, is ready to make changes to his line-up, if not, as many want him to, his formation and system.
At the same time, were a change to be made going forwards, one pundit has called for a rather left-field pick to be made and be brought into the Old Trafford set-up….
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Astonishing claims made for Roy Keane to succeed Amorim
With Amorim now facing what has been described to us as a make-or-break clash this weekend, pundit Jamie O’Hara has surprisingly called on the Red Devils to consider bringing in former skipper Roy Keane into their managerial set-up if the axe were to fall on the Portuguese.
The 54-year-old is on a nice, comfortable number as one a leading pundits on Sky Sports, even appearing in ads these days for Sky Mobile, where his no-nonsense approach to the game has won him many admirers.
In many ways, that style also reflects his playing days, where his ‘never-say-die’ attitude helped guide United to multiple Premier League trophies during his 12 years as a player at Old Trafford.
Keane has since had some mixed stints as a manager, namely with Sunderland and Ipswich, the latter of whom he left back in 2011.
Despite that, O’Hara thinks Keane would be the perfect man to stop the rot at United and end their ‘mentality weak’ attitude.
He told Sky Sports: “I mean, I’m amazed that no one has phoned Roy Keane and said, ‘Can you come in at Man United and be part of what we’re doing here?’ because he is arguably Man United’s greatest captain.
“He is a leader, he’s unbelievable, when you watch him, he’s ferocious, you know, you listen to him, when he walks into a dressing room, you’re gonna listen, he’s gonna lead by example, he’s not going to allow poor standards.
“Maybe he can’t be the manager, maybe because he’s too hotheaded, maybe they want someone with a bit more tactical nous, or whatever.”
O’Hara added: “How Roy Keane isn’t at that football club, in that dressing room, in there every day, in the training ground, telling them, ‘this is the standard, this is what’s Man United, this is what we’ve built, this is how we do it’, I cannot believe they’ve not done something like that.
“You’re getting all these weak managers, all these weak mentality people in there, and I look at it and go, this is Man United, Manchester United. You’re getting beaten by Brentford at the weekend, 3-1, and it’s not even a surprise. I cannot believe how far they’ve fallen.”
And in a four-word rebuke of Amorim’s tenure, O’Hara concluded: “He’s not the guy!”
What are sources saying about Ruben Amorim?
Much of Amorim’s struggles appear to emerge from the failure to not only get the best out of his players, but also in them adapting to his 3-4-2-1 formation.
Per reports this week, that has been a major bone of contention to the board (as well as fans and pundits, alike) and it was claimed that a meeting had asked the manager to consider a formation change, which seemingly did not go down well with the former Sporting CP coach.
With Sir Jim Ratcliffe present, the message from the club is that an improvement is soon expected – especially in light of the £200m-plus sums that were spent on quality new signings this summer.
Furthermore, a possible change of formation, or a tinkering with that system, was discussed.
And while Amorim has stuck by his guns and is highly unlikely to abandon his policies, there could be some changes to his line-up as he bids to strike on the winning formula.
IN DEPTH 🚨The predicted Man Utd XI against Sunderland as Amorim ponders four changes to save job
Explaining what went down, journalist Dean Jones explained to TEAMtalk: “There is no way he can go into the Sunderland game and just play the same old tape yet again. I have spoken to connections close to the club and there seems to be an expectation that this time, something does change. Realistically, it probably will not be the system.
“It is not just that he is clearly very fixed to it, but to suddenly try a new tactical format would take a lot of work on the training field, and one thing about Amorim is that he hates feeling like he can not predict how his players are going to perform.
“Because they have worked so tirelessly on his formation, he will probably roll it out again – but one thing he can do this time is change the personnel. This is the area that people seem to feel is most likely to change.
“Amorim knows that there is deep concern here – not just from fans but from internal figures. And as such, it is likely we see him make at least one change to the starting line-up that is significant enough that symbolises him taking responsibility and attempting to address the flaws in the side.
“It’s a huge game for him! And it really could lead to a big decision over his future if it goes badly. So let’s see whether he is brave enough to make a bold call or two. I get the feeling he might finally do it – maybe in goal or midfield…or both.”
Man Utd manager options: Iraola, Southgate, Glasner…?
On the subject of potential replacements, our reporter Fraser Fletcher has reported that Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola would love to manage United if the chance comes up, with the Spaniard ‘ready’ to leave the Vitality Stadium for Old Trafford.
The Spaniard also has admirers back in LaLiga with his contract with the Cherries due to expire next summer.
One route open to United, it would seem, would be to sack Amorim and appoint Gareth Southgate. And while the former England boss has one big admirer in the Red Devils’ boardroom, sources can explain why the move looks highly unlikely.
Another name being linked is Oliver Glasner, though, as Fletcher also explains in a follow-up report, United could well find it increasingly difficult to convince the game’s very best managers to move to Old Trafford, with deep-seated issues — ranging from structural inefficiencies to a squad plagued by inconsistency — having created an aura of uncertainty that’s deterring elite talent.
And finally, on the subject of possible replacements in the dug-out, former United interim boss, Ralf Rangnick – still a respected name in the world game, who had warned the club of the armageddon scenario they were facing – has also made clear his pick to succeed Amorim as manager.