Gary Neville wanted one thing from Ruben Amorim at Manchester United - and he can't deliver it
Ruben Amorim must be wondering what he's got himself into.
A matter of weeks ago he was the talk of Europe after his Sporting Lisbon side destroyed Manchester City in the Champions League. A move to Manchester United followed and despite beating City again with the Reds, Amorim is finding his opening weeks at Old Trafford tough.
No-one expected instant success with the 39-year-old tasked with giving the club an identity and improved performances. But Amorim has overseen just two top flight wins since his arrival and the limp 2-0 loss to Newcastle United in the final outing of 2024 leaves United 14th and the boss fielding questions about a relegation fight in the second half of the season.
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It's a far cry from the wave of optimism that swept through the club in the days following Amorim's appointment. There was a belief that the Portuguese would turn the tide following a stale start to the season under Erik ten Hag.
The hope was a fresh start would lead to fresh impetus from a squad who are performing significantly below their best.
In the days after Amorim's arrival, former United full back Gary Neville said the immediate priority had to be improving performances of individuals. It's proved beyond Amorim, through a combination of heavy rotation, a tactical inflexibility given the squad at hand and, most importantly, the failings of the players themselves.
"Job number one has got to be to stop this rot of players coming to Manchester United, who were fancied because other clubs wanted them as well, and who have not been able to achieve the levels of potential they demonstrated before they signed," said Neville in early November.
"So, with the players he inherits - which he's going to be stuck with for the next eight months - he has to try and get the maximum out of them and that's going to be a big job."
A big job has just got a lot bigger.
