By Mark Wakefield

Copyright manchestereveningnews

Ruben Amorim has reached the ‘point of no return’ at Manchester United , according to Sky Sports pundit Alan Smith. Amorim is approaching his first full year as United head coach, having replaced Erik ten Hag in the Old Trafford dugout in November last year. Since then, Amorim has endured a difficult spell as United boss despite reaching the Europa League final last term. United have lost three of their first six Premier League matches this season and four across all competitions. That form has led to increased pressure on Amorim’s position as United head coach, with speculation that a change could be made in the weeks ahead. Former Premier League striker Smith believes the writing is on the wall for Amorim, explaining why he thinks there is no way back for the United boss. “It’s got to that point of no return, I don’t think things are going to get better,” Smith told Sky Sports News. “He’s been in the hot seat for coming up to a year, and he’s had a transfer window, but you can’t see any signs of improvement. “One or two matches, you get flashes. They [United] played quite well against Arsenal on the opening day, but still lost. “I’ve never seen a manager go about their business the way that Ruben Amorim is at the moment. It’s a well-trodden path about his system and the fact that it maybe doesn’t suit a lot of the players. “But you’re not telling me he shouldn’t be doing better, even with that system. “You look at the players at the back – Matthijs de Ligt, Harry Maguire – Bruno Fernandes going forward, [Matheus] Cunha and [Bryan] Mbeumo. They’ve got good players. “It doesn’t look like the right fit and that’s putting it mildly. There’s a lot of talk that they’re not going to sack him until a certain date towards the end of this year to save a pay-off. “It’s difficult to read the minds of the hierarchy at United as to what they’re thinking, but I think they know and everyone will be telling them that it is time for a change.” United bosses insist Amorim still has their full support – and no plans are in place to sack him. The Manchester Evening News reported on Monday that club sources have said Amorim retains the backing of Old Trafford decision-makers. Gareth Southgate is among the names to be linked with replacing Amorim. But it is understood the former England manager would reject an approach from United as things stand.