‘Ruben Amorim wants Man Utd to SACK him'

Carlo Garganese

Updated: 21 Jan 2025 08:45 GMT
5 min read

Ruben Amorim has been accused of wanting Manchester United to sack him after his controversial comments on Sunday.

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Amorim has made a disastrous start to his reign at Old Trafford, and the Portuguese coach caused controversy after Sunday's 3-1 home defeat to Brighton by labelling his side as "the worst team maybe in the history of Manchester United."

And Richard Keys believes that Amorim would only have said these comments if he wanted to get axed.

What did Keys say?

"What the hell was Ruben Amorim thinking when he said [his side were the worst team maybe in the history of Manchester United]?" Keys wrote on his blog.

"Is he mad? Why would you do that? Isn’t he the man charged with making things better?

"Trust me – I really didn’t want to talk about United today, but how can I not? ‘We’re the worst side in United’s history’ screamed the Mail’s back page.

"No criticism of them. Every other outlet did the same – whether it was the socials, radio, tv or the rest of the newspaper world. I still can’t fathom what Amorim was trying to achieve. We know United are bad.

"That’s why you’re there Ruben. It’s your job to fix it – not tell us ‘I only have one way’ and follow up by telling the world your players are s*** – the very same players you need to help you out of this mess.

"I said a couple of weeks ago I thought he was trying to get the sack. I’m even more convinced now. If I was his boss I’d call him in this morning and give him his wish.

"Not only does every other team now start on the front foot knowing he believes that – but he’s actually saying to fans – already ripped off by Sunny Jim’s price rises – ‘you mugs – we’re taking your money under false pretences’. My goodness. How bad is it going to get at Old Trafford?"

Amorim has overseen Man Utd slipping to 15th in the Premier League, just three places above the relegation zone.

Amorim was appointed as Man Utd manager just under three months ago, on November 1, following the sacking of Erik ten Hag.

The 39-year-old arrived with high hopes after a brilliant spell at Sporting Lisbon, where he won two Primeira Liga titles and developed a host of talented players such as Viktor Gyokeres.

But so far it has been a disastrous reign for Amorim, with him doing far worse even than the much-maligned Ten Hag.

On Sunday, United were beaten 3-1 at home to Brighton which meant the Red Devils had lost seven of their first 12 home league matches for the first time since the 1893-94 season.

© IMAGO - Ruben Amorim is struggling at Man Utd

What did Ruben Amorim say after defeat to Brighton?

Amorim did not hide away from United’s problems in the aftermath of the defeat to Brighton, describing this as the “worst team in the history of Manchester United.”

“Imagine what this is for a fan of Manchester United,” Amorim said.

“Imagine what this is for me. We are getting a new coach who is losing more than the last coach. I have full knowledge of that,” Amorim told reporters.

“I am not going to change, no matter what. I know we can succeed but we need to survive this moment. I am not naive. We need to survive now.

“We are the worst team maybe in the history of Manchester United. I know you want headlines but I am saying that because we have to acknowledge that and to change that. Here you go: your headlines.”

Amorim added: “It’s hard to explain. We have to acknowledge the moment and not go around the problem. Everybody here is underperforming, no matter what the circumstances. We are underperforming and have to accept that.

“It’s unacceptable to lose so many games for any Premier League club, imagine Manchester United. So it’s a really hard moment but we have to continue, we have to continue, there is no other way. We need to suffer and continue.

“Our players are really nervous and anxious. When you go inside the last pitch you remember the last games here, if I feel it the players feel it a lot. The only way is to continue to do the same and to win games.”

United are next in action on Thursday in the Europa League at home to Rangers.