Ruben Amorim Makes Candid Admission On Fears Over Manchester United Future

Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim admits he cannot hide from his poor record at Old Trafford and accepts it is "normal" for club legends to criticise him. 

The Portuguese coach is under mounting pressure as results continue to falter, with his side sitting 14th in the Premier League table after three defeats in their opening six matches.

United’s struggles have intensified scrutiny around Amorim’s future, especially after Wayne Rooney, the club’s record goalscorer, said on his BBC podcast this week that "the soul has gone" from Manchester United. 

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Failure to beat newly promoted Sunderland on Saturday could spark another wave of speculation about Amorim’s position heading into the international break.

"It is normal," said the Portuguese, when asked about Rooney's comments. 

"You can't run away from the results. Then you have the baggage from last season, [although] last season for me doesn't matter."

Despite the mounting criticism, sources close to United’s co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe insist Amorim retains backing from above.

Private conversations over the past few weeks, including following the defeat to Brentford, are said to have reassured Amorim that his job is safe – at least for now. But even he admits that patience at a club of United’s stature will not last forever.

"Nobody here is naive," he said. 

"We understand we need results to continue the project. We will reach a point that is impossible for everyone because this is a very big club with a lot of sponsors, with two owners."

Amorim has won just 18 of his 49 matches since taking charge, including only nine from 33 league fixtures. Crucially, he has yet to oversee consecutive victories in the Premier League, highlighting the inconsistency that continues to plague his tenure.

"Of course, it's a dream to be here," he admitted.

"I want to continue here and I want to fight for this, but the problem is now."

Inside Old Trafford, some believe Amorim might eventually resign rather than be sacked, a thought he acknowledged after last season’s Europa League final defeat. Yet, despite those low moments, Amorim insists he will not walk away.

"No," he said.

"That is a board decision. I cannot do that. Sometimes I [do] have that feeling and losing is hard. It's so frustrating when you create the momentum, go to the next game and something happens. That feeling sometimes hurts me a lot. But I think it would be really hard to leave if I don't do everything to follow my career here."

Amorim has also accepted the club’s need to arrange lucrative mid-season friendlies in the absence of European football. 

United missed out on £80m to £100m after losing the Europa League final to Tottenham last May and were further hit by a shock Carabao Cup exit to League Two side Grimsby.

"We have to do it," Amorim said. 

"We knew that when we missed Europe, we had to compensate [for] a lot of things, including our fans and the budget. So we are putting [it] all together to do that."

While United fans rallied behind him after last season’s 15th-place finish – their worst since relegation in 1973-74 – the latest campaign has provided little improvement. With frustration growing, Amorim says the only way forward is through results on the pitch.

"It's not the time to say, it is the time to show," he added.

"I look at the games this season and, for me, they are completely different, but I have nothing to say at this moment."