Forget beating terrible Wolves: Man United are being ‘bullied’ by mid-table teams amid ‘big’ claim
Ruben Amorim is facing increasing doubts about his long-term position as Man United manager despite a clear turnaround in results so far this season.
That is according to former Man United chief scout Mick Brown, who worked at Old Trafford for over a decade and remains very well-connected there, as he exclusively told Football Insider that concerns about their style of play have lingered even in victories.
Those concerns centre around the seemingly pedestrian nature of the team, with a lack of drive and power in the side leading to underwhelming results.
Man United beat Wolves 4-1 last time out, but previous poor results against West Ham and Everton either side of a win against Crystal Palace highlight their inconsistency.
As a result, questions are once again starting to be asked of Amorim’s management, despite Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s commitment to backing the manager.
Man United still ‘concerned’ about Ruben Amorim
Brown told Football Insider in October that Amorim can ease sack pressure at Man United by putting together a consistent and impressive run of results.
The former scout, who has a wealth of experience working alongside elite-level managers including Sir Alex Ferguson during the club’s most successful period, insisted that while there has been a turnaround, their inconsistency is still a major concern.
“I think there are still some doubts about Amorim,” he told Football Insider.
“The win against Wolves won’t change much in all honesty, because they’re bottom of the league and without a win all season, you expect United to win.
“But after those games against Everton and West Ham in the last few weeks, doubts are creeping in.
“A lot of people are starting to lose faith and patience in Amorim, because a lot of the doubts that had come up previously are still lingering.
“My biggest concern is that, far too often, there’s no pace, power, or drive in their performances, it’s all very pedestrian and that lets teams like Everton bully them.
“So it comes as no surprise that their results against Everton and West Ham didn’t go in their favour, those are the exact type of games they will keep losing.
“Somehow they picked up the win against Palace, and then as I said Wolves was expected, and there are positives there but those concerns are still lingering.
“That’s the problem, even if the team does well and gets results, you can see issues in the way they play which mean another bad result is always on the horizon.
“It’s a lack of consistency which is a real big problem, because if you want to play in the Champions League or win trophies, that’s what you need.”
Amorim has new worries as January transfer plan revealed
Brown told Football Insider last month that Amorim has “massive” concerns about his squad and plans to bolster it after key players leave for the Africa Cup of Nations.
Man United will be heavily impacted by AFCON, particularly given the importance of those going to the tournament, and are now making contingency plans.
Bryan Mbeumo is the most notable of those going, but United will also miss Amad Diallo and Noussair Mazraoui, in a huge blow to their right-hand side.
Amorim is demanding his squad is strengthened to help deal with the big-name absentees, and wants to accelerate their transfer plans in multiple key positions.
Football Insider revealed last month that Man United are desperate to sign a new midfielder when the window opens, with a number of options on their radar.
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