Richard Keys believes Ruben Amorim’s refusal to change his system at Manchester United will cost him his job and that the Portuguese coach is choosing to work towards that outcome. Amorim is under immense pressure amid a disappointing reign with the worst win percentage record of any manager since World War II.
There were many, including Keys, who predicted Amorim to be sacked if United lost against Sunderland on Saturday afternoon. His men put in an impressive performance to clinch a vital 2-0 victory courtesy of goals from Mason Mount and Benjamin Sesko.
That win may just have given Amorim more time before he becomes the sixth permanent coach to be fired since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013. He needs to stage an almighty turnaround, but it’s been suggested that he might not want to.
Richard Keys: Amorim Wants Man Utd Sack
Amorim was defiant ahead of the win over Sunderland by insisting he didn’t “care” about possibly getting the sack but that his only wish was to win football matches. It was another one of his passionate post and pre-match press conferences that have become a theme of his tumultuous time in charge.
Keys hit out at Amorim’s stubbornness over his system, which the United coach said his players had started to believe the media when blaming the system for the team’s issues. The presenter said on beIN Sports:
“United have spent £200 million in the summer to make this system work, and it doesn’t. The players have no faith in it, they have little faith in the coach and I think that message has finally arrived at the Jim Reaper’s office… If it’s not the system, change the system, be flexible and intelligent enough to understand what you’ve served up has not worked.”
Amorim’s 5-2-3 system worked wonders in Portugal as he guided Sporting CP to two Liga Portugal titles and transformed the Portuguese outfit into the very best team in the country. But he has failed to get his United side to fully take his methods on board and results reflect this.
The 40-year-old reaffirmed his commitment to the system and doesn’t appear to be open to adapting despite the issues he’s encountered since replacing Erik ten Hag last November. Keys believes he is intentionally trying to be relieved of his duties by INEOS:
“I think he’s working at the moment to maneuver himself into a position to get the sack… he’s not worrying, I think he’s trying to get the sack and has been for quite some time.”
Amorim has just under two years left on his contract, having previously been linked with the Manchester City job to replace Pep Guardiola. His stock was extremely high before arriving at Old Trafford, where his future remains uncertain despite the win over Sunderland.