Rubbish was floating around the Old Trafford pitch amid Baltic winds on Sunday and more rubbish was served up by the Manchester United players.

For the second season running, Bournemouth left the stadium with three points after a 3-0 win. Since the start of last season, United have been battered 3-0 at home on six occasions.

Such events, previously an aberration, are now frequent. Newcastle, responsible for one of the 0-3 reverses last season, are the next team to enter the visitors' dressing room at Old Trafford.

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The eight-day gap between home matches gives time for United to attend to some stadium maintenance. The ceiling started leaking midway through Ruben Amorim's press conference, an open-goal of a metaphor.

The redundancy bloodbath has harmed United's already unflattering image. The usual accreditation officer at the media desk was off for the Bournemouth match, so the affable security attendant on the door was tasked with sifting through lanyards.

In the press room, teamsheets were distributed by the kindly Mancunian who runs the room, ensuring that cutlery is available, food is replenished and the coffee machines are working. That has never been his responsibility.

All of a sudden, hospitality guests from one of the adjacent suites have started to be chaperoned into the press lounge to use the toilet facilities. United once complained about "unsavoury leaks" and there are a few in the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand.

These are the consequences of the callous cuts by Ineos. Departments are down to the bare bones and good, time-served employees are being run off their feet.

All the while, a junior employee whose father is the chief executive of one of Ineos's sister companies swans around Carrington, purportedly as Sir Dave Brailsford's personal assistant. No wonder resentment festers.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe already looks dumber than the dumb money he accused United of spending on Fred five years ago. Their current plight can be traced back to the gutless decision not to change manager in the summer before extending his contract and providing blind backing in another Dutch-centric transfer window. United are 13th and their position is not misleading.

Against Bournemouth, United witnessed the worst of Erik ten Hag's legacy. Tyrell Malacia, his first signing, was substituted at half-time for the third time in four starts. Joshua Zirkzee, one of Ten Hag's last signings, did not last an hour.

Ruben Amorim patently does not believe in Zirkzee. He decided to remove him after he meekly lost an aerial duel. Then, as Rasmus Hojlund waited on the touchline, United won a corner. Rather than wait to make the change, Amorim ordered Hojlund on for the set piece.

Zirkzee is 6ft 4in yet was not deemed a threat at an attacking corner by his own coach. Damning does not quite cover it and Hojlund, overpromoted since United invested £72million in him in July 2023, is likely to be overburdened again over the next five months.

Amorim has got to relocate Amad back to the wing. United cannot function in the 3-4-3 formation with full backs as wingers. Noussair Mazraoui and Diogo Dalot lack conviction in the final third when their remit has to be to service a striker who is not prolific as it is.

United had a far superior quartet of attacking full backs 25 years ago in the Nevilles, Denis Irwin and Mikael Silvestre. Dalot has been overplayed, admittedly, and Mazraoui could soon hit a wall in his first season without a winter break.

Antonee Robinson, the quicksilver left-back at Fulham, has six times as many assists as Dalot and Mazraoui. The pair have had little support from Malacia and Luke Shaw, the latter available for three games all season.

Malacia had three good games for United before his 550-day absence with a knee problem. Come the summer, he will have a year left on his contract. Whichever left back United recruit, they have to be as a starter to replace Shaw, who has outstayed his welcome.

Across his three appearances this season, it has been apparent why cup 'keeper Altay Bayindir only played against Newport County last season. United have not had such a poor back-up goalkeeper since Kevin Pilkington in the mid-Nineties.

A change in goal would afford Amorim the chance to recruit someone who is not a cost-efficient body. Andre Onana has had a forgettable couple of weeks and his proactive play has deserted him.

"You can feel it not just the players, the fans, in the first goal kick with Andre Onana, he’s thinking what to do and push the other guys and everybody is so anxious," Amorim said on Sunday. "At this moment, everybody in the club is tired of these moments."

A handful in the Stretford End remained to chant "Amorim's red and white army". They were drowned out by the boos. Thousands had already left, with the exodus sparked by Antoine Semenyo's goal in the 63rd minute.

Already Amorim has aged as the United coach. His jet-black hair has flecks of grey and his complexion is paler away from the Lisbon sunshine. He ended on a reassuring note.

"We know what to do, we have to address a lot of things but we are ready to do it. We already knew that the challenge is big, it’s really tough on the fans, the players."

Especially when they serve up rubbish.