Ruben Amorim has been brutally told that he "bluffed his way into a job" at Manchester United, with his gift of the gab allowing a prominent Premier League post to be secured. The Portuguese tactician, after impressing in his homeland with Sporting, was handed the reins at Old Trafford in November 2024. A baptism of fire in English football has been endured since then, leading to plenty of uncomfortable questions being asked.
Man Utd stumbled out of the blocks in 2025-26
Amorim is facing more of those at present, with United stumbling out of the blocks again in 2025-26. They could only muster a 15th-place finish last season, while also suffering defeat to Tottenham in the Europa League final and missing out on qualification for continental competition. Through six fixtures this term, the Red Devils have seven points to their name.
AdvertisementGettyHumbling defeats & formation questions for Amorim
Amorim has come in for criticism, having suffered a humbling Carabao Cup defeat at League Two side Grimsby, and refuses to change his ways when it comes to a 3-4-3 system that many believe United lack the players to fit. He has been backed in the transfer market, but little return is being seen on that investment. Red Devils legend Wayne Rooney is among those to have aired concerns regarding the direction in which 13-time Premier League champions are heading.
Did Amorim talking himself into Man Utd job?
Former Tottenham boss Tim Sherwood, who won the English top-flight title as a player with Blackburn, shares that opinion. He has told of United’s struggles under Amorim: "It looks like they are emulating that season again. All of a sudden to be challenging for the title, that’s not going to happen. But we need to see gradual improvement. When I’m asked ‘Is he under pressure?’, I always said ‘no’. I feel like he should be, but I don’t think he is. I think they will give him this season, I really do.
"He has already been in the job a year, we have seen no improvement. He keeps talking about the three at the back, we have talked about different personnel coming in, playing staff. He has had the windows to bring the players in. Perhaps he hasn’t got what he wants. How many more windows are we going to give him and when are we going to see an improvement – even gradual? We aren’t seeing anything.
"What we are seeing is a man who sticks his chest out, certainly in the press conferences. When I see him on the touchline, he has got his head down, he was hiding in the dugout at Grimsby. But when I see him in front of the press, he fronts it up – he looks and he talks brilliantly. He has probably talked so well that he has bluffed his way into a job there at Man United because we’re not seeing anything.
"He has done very well in Portugal, a lot of managers do very well in Portugal – it’s an inferior league to the Premier League. You can build sides on the job, you have three or four games in Portugal that are really competitive, the other times you can just play and experiment with different formations. You can’t do that in the Premier League. You do that in the Premier League, you come unstuck. And that is what he’s been doing. Since he has been at the football club, 34 points in 33 games, it’s not good enough, it’s relegation form."
GettyInternational reset: One more game before next break
Sherwood has previously accused Amorim’s United of looking "clueless", with questions being asked of what he is doing on the training ground to get his squad ready to deliver on a remit that has been in place for several months now.
The Red Devils came unstuck at Brentford in their latest fixture, with club captain Bruno Fernandes missing a penalty in a demoralising 3-1 defeat. United have just one more game to take in before the next international break, during which another reset button could be hit, with Amorim and Co set to play host to newly-promoted Sunderland on Saturday.
