 "Ruben Amorim is reportedly losing the support of senior Manchester United players. Image: AP")
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim’s stay at the club could be numbered as he is reportedly ’losing the confidence’ of the dressing room, an explosive media report in England has claimed. Amorim has only collected 31 points in 31 matches as United manager and the recent 3-0 loss to Manchester City in the derby has put added pressure on the Portuguese coach.
Another aspect of Amorim that has attracted criticism is his insistence on playing the 3-4-3 formation, which doesn’t suit a large number of his players. Man United legend Roy Keane raised the same topic after the derby defeat, as he pointed out that some of the players have stopped trusting Amorim’s process and tactics.
“My worry is with the players now, maybe the players haven’t got that much faith in [Amorim’s formation]," Keane said. “So as much as the manager’s going ‘this is where we’re going lads’, and at the start you’re probably going ‘new manager, new ideas, something different’…but as the results don’t come and you keep getting beaten and you’re struggling against the better teams … it’s like they’re going around in circles.
“If some of the players are now starting to doubt that – and I’m not saying they are, but you see the goals they’ve given away – and you’re going ‘are some of the players fully on board with this manager?’”
Besides losing two out of four matches in the new English Premier League season, United were also knocked out of the League Cup by League Two team Grimsby Town.
Man United players confused over Amorim’s tactics
And now a report in the Daily Star claims that the senior players in the Man United dressing room are feeling that Amorim’s stubbornness to make them play his system is impacting their game.
“Ruben Amorim is losing the confidence of his Manchester United dressing room. And the revelation could signal the beginning of the end of Amorim’s troubled time as United boss. It’s understood senior players have been left frustrated and confused by Amorim’s refusal to change his tactics,” the report read.
“Amorim’s approach to games and chosen style of play has become the hot topic of debate within the squad. And some players believe the Portuguese is hanging them out to dry, by continually asking them to fit into a system they are not able to adapt to.”
If a major divide is created then Amorim could soon be on his way out of the club, but a few media reports also suggest that he continues to enjoy the confidence of co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who is in charge of footballing operations at the club.