By Jake Stokes,Kieran King

Copyright manchestereveningnews

Micah Richards has claimed that Ruben Amorim must fix Manchester United ‘s midfield problems – if he wants to keep his job – following Sunday’s thumping 3-0 loss at Manchester City . United were beaten in comprehensive fashion at the Etihad Stadium , as Phil Foden gave City the lead in the 18th minute before Erling Haaland fired in a second-half brace to finish the Reds off. Defeat for United has increased the pressure on Amorim, who has won just eight of his 31 Premier League games since replacing Erik ten Hag as head coach last November. With four points from their opening four matches this season, United have endured their worst start to a Premier League campaign since 1992/93. They also suffered a humiliating Carabao Cup second round exit to Grimsby Town , with the Reds losing 12-11 on penalties following a 2-2 draw after normal time. Speculation regarding Amorim’s future is rising and ex-City right-back Richards has offered the Portuguese a word of advice to sort United’s woes out. Indeed, Richards believes that Amorim must fix his midfield. Speaking on The Rest Is Football , Richards said: “That’s exactly right, and that’s what I’ve been saying on Sky Sports after the game. From the studio, you have a bird’s-eye view so you can see all the positions and, in the first minute, Haaland gets his chance. United grew into the game a little bit. A little bit of confidence. “I remember saying after the United vs Arsenal game; ‘I can see an improvement’. I actually thought, in aspects of the City game, Man Utd did good things. But what is crystal clear, in the middle of the park, they need more legs. I can see that, all the fans can see that, but the manager is sticking to his guns and I just don’t understand it. “Every manager should be able to adapt. You got Rodri, who actually in the first half, I didn’t think he played too well, he gave the ball away too easily, but you have got legs with [Tijani] Reijnders and you got Foden playing off Haaland. You got [Jeremy] Doku coming into little pockets and you got Bernardo Silva. “So, when you see them playing with [Benjamin] Sesko and [Bryan] Mbeumo and [Amad] Diallo, they’re forward-thinking players, so they can give you what you need in terms of the start of the shape you’re trying to do. “They’re thinking about getting the ball forward as fast as possible and doing what they do best. So, it works when the game’s really tight but, as soon as the game opens up, you’re asking forward players to do the midfield players’ job. It just doesn’t work. “If I was playing in that back three, back five, whatever you want to call it, it’s virtually impossible at times because Bruno [Fernandes’ is their best player, playing as a No.6 – he doesn’t track runners, but then the back three are not pushing up. They’re getting overrun in midfield and then in behind, as well. It was just a disaster… Absolute disaster. “They need to sort it out ASAP (as soon as possible) because if they carry on playing that way, they’re not going to get any better.” Despite the pressure around Amorim’s position, The Manchester Evening News understands that the Portuguese retains the support of the United board for now. A source, however, close to Amorim admits it is “incredible” that his position isn’t under genuine threat despite 16 defeats in the 31 league matches. Here at The Manchester Evening News , we are dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester United coverage and analysis. Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest United news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe. You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day’s biggest stories. And, finally, if you would rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Manchester is Red podcast, featuring The Samuel Luckhurst Show and The Midweek Debate. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts , and you can also watch along on YouTube .