Ruben Amorim has ‘massive problem’ at Man United, it could lose him his job
Ruben Amorim is facing major defensive problems at Man United, raising the pressure on his position after a string of frustrating results.
That is according to former Man United chief scout Mick Brown, who worked at Old Trafford for over a decade during the club’s most successful period, as he exclusively told Football Insider that Amorim must work to ease their defensive concerns.
Man United have kept just one clean sheet this season in a 2-0 win against Sunderland in October, with Sunday’s 2-1 defeat against Aston Villa further exposing their weakness.
Meanwhile, the Red Devils have now dropped to seventh place in the league table and have won just two of their last eight games, piling the pressure back on the manager.
Brown told Football Insider on 9 December that doubts about Amorim’s future have lingered despite their turnaround in form so far this season.
Ruben Amorim must ease Man United concerns
Brown told Football Insider on 14 December that Amorim is not out of the woods at Man United and will face sack pressure if results continue to disappoint.
The former scout, who has a wealth of experience working closely alongside elite-level managers including Sir Alex Ferguson and remains well-connected at Old Trafford, insisted their inability to defend is a huge problem for the boss.
“Nobody seems, to me, to pay attention to things that matter now,” he told Football Insider.
“There’s a lot of talk about formations, systems, the way they’ve set up tactically, but there’s not enough about the basics of the game.
“Some of Man United’s defending is pathetic, to be honest. They don’t seem to take pride in that side of the game and it’s a major problem for them.
“I don’t want to take anything away from Morgan Rogers, his two goals were brilliant, but he should never have been allowed to get the shots off to begin with.
“One of them, he’s chased it out to the corner flag and has been allowed to come back inside and score.
“Some people might call me a dinosaur, but somebody has got to maintain the defensive standards, because they will keep losing games if they can’t defend.
“Even the best teams in the world, when they stop being able to defend, that’s when the problems start.
“Man City had it last season, Liverpool are having it this season, if you can’t stop goals going in, you’re never going to be able to win games consistently.
“It’s a massive problem and one the manager has to deal with, because ultimately it’s on him if his team aren’t set up to be defensively solid.
“They’ll keep losing games and he’ll come under pressure for it.”
Man United dealt new blow after Bruno Fernandes update
A defeat against Aston Villa didn’t only result in questions asked of the defence, but also inspired questions about Bruno Fernandes’ importance.
Fernandes is set for an extended spell out of action after he sustained a soft-tissue injury and could miss at least one month due to the blow.
The Portugal international has missed just three games through injury since arriving at Old Trafford in 2021, but they will now be tested without him in the side.
He will now become the latest big miss among several out-of-action players in Amorim’s side, ramping up the pressure on the manager’s position.
Mbeumo has gone to the Africa Cup of Nations with Cameroon, while Amad Diallo and Noussair Mazraoui are set to represent Ivory Coast and Morocco respectively.
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