It’s fair to say Ruben Amorim’s start to life in the Premier League has not gone quite how he will have hoped when he signed the dotted line to join mid-season from Sporting.
Though his side have safely negotiated the early rounds of both the FA Cup and Europa League, it is the Premier League that has been proving a more difficult frontier to conquer.
Since the Portuguese’s arrival on November 11, United have picked up a measly 15 points in 15 games, the kind of output you’d expect from a newly-promoted side, rather than one with aspirations of European qualification.
In fact, with such form coming into Wednesday night’s clash with Ipswich Town, we are almost at the stage of calling the match a six-pointer.
The former Sporting boss was brought in to turn around the Red Devils after an appalling start to the 2024-25 campaign, following Erik ten Hag’s dismissal.
The Dutchman’s sacking came after just 11 points from nine games at the start of the current Premier League season, forcing United to splash £9.2million for Amorim’s services.
Manchester United’s form since Ruben Amorim’s arrival has seen them fall down the table
The Red Devils have failed to impress across the season and are currently sat in 15th place
They now welcome Ipswich Town in genuine danger of being drawn into a relegation battle
Yet, Amorim has failed to light up Old Trafford with his tenure starting woefully, placing United 17th in the form table based on results since his arrival.
Only bookies’ favourites for relegation Ipswich, Leicester and Southampton have performed worse than Man United since Amorim’s first match on the 24 November.
Compared to fierce rivals Liverpool, United are not even close to the Reds’ exceptional form this season.
Within the same timeframe, champions-elect Liverpool have taken 21 more points than the Red Devils which has seen them extend their lead at the top of the table to 11 points, even with one game in hand.
Similarly, Crystal Palace have blown Manchester United away, claiming 14 more points since Amorim’s appointment, for an astonishing third place spot in the form table, behind Arsenal.
The Eagles have soared after a difficult start to the season, highlighting United’s fall from grace as one of the traditional Top Six.
United’s poor league standing under Amorim becomes less surprising when looking at their performances at both ends of the pitch. Their 18 goals scored is the fifth worst during this period, while only six sides have conceded more than their 25.
Naturally, goal-scoring has been a consistent criticism of Amorim’s group. Danish striker Rasmus Hojlund, signed for a whopping £72m, has not scored in his last 16 matches for United. Similarly, Joshua Zirkzee has only three in the league.
The former Sporting head coach has won only four of his 15 matches since joining Man United
Rasmus Hojlund is one of a number of players to come in for criticism throughout the season
Thanks to their woeful form the Red Devils are on the verge of entering the relegation battle
Amorim has also highlighted United’s poor chance creation and lack of threat in the attacking third, an aspect the Portuguese head coach needs to rectify quickly.
‘I feel sorry for Rasmus Hojlund,’ said former Watford striker Troy Deeney on Match of the Day, highlighting his low confidence after a torrid season for the 22-year-old.
Yet, Roy Keane disagrees with Deeney’s sympathy for the forward after he failed to score against League One side Wigan in the FA Cup in January 2024.
‘I’d be fuming with him [if I was manager],’ stated the legendary former United captain.
‘We can say unlucky, oh dear. [But he has to] create opportunities [for himself] [and] put them in the back of the net. Stop messing about!’
Whilst focus has been on individuals, major criticism has also been targeted at the Man United boss, which is unsurprising given his side’s drastic form.
Following their uninspiring 1-0 defeat to fellow strugglers Tottenham Hotspur, Gary Neville described Amorim’s tactics as ‘embarrassing’.
‘The distance between the two central midfield players…that cannot be right. It breaks all rules in football. Absolute madness,’ Neville said on Sky Sports.
| P | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Liverpool | 16 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 43 | 20 | 23 | 36 |
| 2 | Arsenal | 15 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 33 | 11 | 22 | 34 |
| 3 | Crystal Palace | 16 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 27 | 18 | 9 | 29 |
| 4 | Bournemouth | 16 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 30 | 17 | 13 | 28 |
| 5 | Nottingham Forest | 15 | 9 | 1 | 5 | 29 | 23 | 6 | 28 |
| 6 | Chelsea | 16 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 31 | 23 | 8 | 27 |
| 7 | Newcastle Utd | 15 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 33 | 25 | 8 | 26 |
| 8 | Brighton | 16 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 25 | 24 | 1 | 24 |
| 9 | Fulham | 16 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 24 | 23 | 1 | 24 |
| 10 | Aston Villa | 17 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 23 | 28 | -5 | 24 |
| 11 | Man City | 15 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 30 | 24 | 6 | 21 |
| 12 | Brentford | 15 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 25 | 20 | 5 | 21 |
| 13 | Everton | 15 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 19 | 16 | 3 | 21 |
| 14 | West Ham | 15 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 17 | 28 | -11 | 18 |
| 15 | Tottenham | 15 | 5 | 2 | 8 | 30 | 25 | 5 | 17 |
| 16 | Wolves | 16 | 5 | 1 | 10 | 21 | 29 | -8 | 16 |
| 17 | Man Utd | 15 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 18 | 25 | -7 | 15 |
| 18 | Ipswich Town | 15 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 12 | 32 | -20 | 9 |
| 19 | Leicester | 15 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 11 | 38 | -27 | 7 |
| 20 | Southampton | 16 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 12 | 44 | -32 | 5 |
Man United spent £9.2million to bring Amorim to Old Trafford after sacking Erik ten Hag
Only six sides have conceded more than United’s 25 goals since the arrival of Amorim
Amorim has become accustomed to the immense pressure at Manchester United, but poor results cannot be allowed to continue for much longer.
United will now turn their attention to their relegation scrap with Ipswich Town on Wednesday night in a bid to push themselves back up the Premier League table; a sentence few would have predicted back in August.
Another poor result will continue to anger the United faithful, who are growing tiresome of the Red Devils’ lack of quality across the pitch.
Worse still, anything less than a positive result could drag them closer and closer to an almost unfathomable relegation battle.
