Alan Shearer declared that Manchester United are even worse under Ruben Amorim than they were under Erik ten Hag.

After a promising 2-2 away draw with Liverpool was followed up by knocking Arsenal out of the FA Cup on penalties and overcoming Southampton 3-1, Amorim's Red Devils appeared to be turning a corner. Yet, a 3-1 home defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday has sucked away any good feeling amassed from their previous results.

The Portuguese head coach did not hold back in his verdict, admitting during his post-match press conference that his side may just well be the "worst team in the history of Manchester United". Taking into account the new system Amorim is trying to implement, Shearer admitted the Red Devils look as bad as they have ever been.

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Speaking on The Stick to Football podcast, Shearer said: "They’re actually worse now than they were under Ten Hag, because of what this manager wants to do with this system. The way he wants to play, the players just can’t do it."

Alluding to Amorim's stinging comments on the condition of the squad, Shearer added: “You sort of get and understand why he is saying that, to buy himself time. It’s so unusual that you’ve got one of, if not, the biggest club in the world and the manager is coming out and saying ‘this is the worst side in their history’ because of where they are and some of their performances.

“Last week and the week before, we were saying how well they performed at Arsenal and how well they performed at Liverpool. Yet, a week later, he is coming out and saying they are the worst in their history, it’s incredible.

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“It’s a really tough one to understand because he’s got a bit of a free pass, because of how bad it has been there, because of how bad the recruitment has been, because of how bad the takeover has been, and because of how bad everything has been, he’s got a bit of a free hit until the end of the season."

The loss to Brighton and Crystal Palace's victory at West Ham saw the Red Devils drop to 13th place. But while he thinks performances have not improved too much under Amorim, Shearer thinks the 39-year-old should be given licence to overhaul the squad.

The ex-England captain added: "Someone had to go in there and strip it back to the bare bones and that’s exactly what it needs. It is going to take time and whoever went in there was going to face this scenario.

"They need massive recruitment, now and in the summer, but it is going to take a lot longer than that to get that club right."

Up next for United is a vital home clash against Rangers in the Europa League on Thursday, January 23. The competition appears to be United's only hope of qualifying for next season's Champions League, as they are trailing fourth-placed neighbours Manchester City by 12 points.