“This can’t continue”: David Ornstein delivers decisive update on Amorim’s future as pressure mounts on United boss

Manchester United’s stance on Ruben Amorim’s future has been clarified by Fabrizio Romano after a wave of reports yesterday that the club were sounding out potential replacements for the Portuguese coach.

Building pressure

United’s poor start to the season — three losses, one draw and a win, including the humiliating defeat to Grimsby Town in the Carabao Cup — has seen the pressure on Amorim already reach fever pitch.

Last year’s dismal campaign, compounded by the defeat to Tottenham in the Europa League final, came with a caveat for the Portuguese coach as he had taken over from Erik ten Hag midseason.

So, dspite finishing 15th in the Premier League — the club’s worst season in Premier League history — there was never a sense Amorim’s job was in jeopardy.

With the benefit of a transfer window and a full pre-season the expectation was United would begin the season in a manner which would make the memories of last year quickly disappear. The theory being the teething problems experienced in Amorim’s first campaign would guide him towards the remedy in his second.

But theory rarely translates to practice, particularly at the Theatre of Dreams, which has resembled more of an unrelenting nightmare in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.

Over £200 million was invested in recruitment to help continue to remodel the United squad to fit his 3-4-2-1 system.

A number of big names, including Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho, were jettisoned as well after public disputes with Amorim, as INEOS threw their full backing behind the head coach.

And while United’s performances have improved from last season, better than terrible doesn’t equate to good. And, crucially, the results have remained far below acceptable.

The Red Devils are not in Europe this season; they have already crashed out of one of the two cup competitions they are in, at the hands of a League Two side; and they are 14th in the table.

The absence of midweek fixtures was supposed to afford Amorim more time on the training pitch; more opportunities to continue instilling his vision and working on the finer details on his system. United’s fanbase are still waiting to see the results, however.

A gap of a full week between games is almost torturous for fans as they are forced to wait before a sense of reprieve can be achieved on the pitch, even if it may never come. And, in this time, the media run wild with ‘AMORIM UNDER PRESSURE’ and ‘THE SIR JIM REAPER’ headlines, pouring gasoline on an already incendiary situation at Old Trafford.

A report by The Mirror yesterday contended Amorim had three games to save his job, revealing United had drawn up a five-man shortlist of potential replacements, including Andoni Iraola, Oliver Glasner, Marco Silva, Mauricio Pochettino and Gareth Southgate.

This was then later updated to clarify it was in fact the bookmaker’s favoured list of candidates, not United’s —  a minor technicality.

Similarly, a well-known ‘ITK’ source claimed United have implemented a “sercet operation” —  trustworthy sources need not worry about trustworthy spelling after all —  titled ‘International Reset’. The directive affords Amorim until the international break in October to improve results, while alleging senior players are “expecting” him to be sacked.

But more reputable figures within the media, chiefly David Ornstein (The Athletic) and Fabrizio Romano, have rejected these more sensationalist stories, reporting United are continuing to back Amorim.

INEOS continue to back their man

Despite the ‘noise’ in the press, INEOS remain steadfast in their support of Amorim — but with an acceptance that results need to improve sharply.

Asked about the growing pressure on Amorim and the prospect of Bournemouth manager Iraola replacing him, Romano reveals there is “nothing” happening on this front: “Nothing about names now, at the moment Man United are not changing the coach so all the rest is speculation.”

Similarly, Ornstein — the gold standard for football journalism — does not feel United are looking to change manager again, but stresses their form on the pitch “can’t continue.”