MANCHESTER UNITED’S cautious pre-season optimism has completely disappeared before August concluded following another disappointing result.
Manager Ruben Amorim now faces intense scrutiny after accumulating just one point from two Premier League matches this campaign.
The Portuguese coach has managed only 28 points from 29 top-flight matches since replacing Erik ten Hag.
A narrow 1-0 home defeat against Arsenal followed by a 1-1 draw at Fulham already raised concerns about the team’s direction.
Wednesday’s penalty shootout defeat to fourth-tier Grimsby Town in the League Cup second round represented arguably the lowest moment of Amorim’s tenure.
Manchester United can no longer treat the League Cup as an unimportant competition for squad rotation.
With no European football for only the second time in 35 years after finishing fifteenth last season, the domestic cups represented realistic targets.
Amorim’s decision to make eight changes to his starting lineup for the Grimsby match surprised many observers.
The manager still gave a first start to 130 million pound signing Benjamin Sesko alongside fellow new recruit Matheus Cunha.
United trailed 2-0 at halftime before Amorim introduced 65 million pound signing Bryan Mbeumo and captain Bruno Fernandes.
Cunha’s missed penalty in the shootout ultimately cost United victory and spared Amorim from immediate questioning.
Grimsby’s players held their nerve during the shootout while Mbeumo also missed his spot kick.
The enduring image showed an anguished Amorim sitting alone in his dugout throughout the penalty drama.
His post-match comments contained intriguing suggestions about necessary changes at the club.
“I think this is a little bit the limit. I think something has to change. I think the team and the players spoke really loud today,“ he said.
United’s owners showed such enthusiasm to appoint Amorim that they gave him a “now or never” ultimatum last November rather than waiting until season’s end.
After drawing his first game against Ipswich Town, United sat twelfth in the table before eventually finishing fifteenth with 42 points.
Their points total represented the club’s lowest Premier League haul and worst season since 1974.
Even Europa League consolation escaped them after losing to seventeenth-placed Tottenham Hotspur in the final.
Amorim’s win percentage across all competitions stands at 35.6% while his Premier League record sits at just 24.1%.
Much-criticized predecessor Erik ten Hag achieved a 51% Premier League win percentage while delivering two trophies.
United host Burnley on Saturday with an opportunity to reduce pressure on their manager.
The club hasn’t lost any of their last 23 matches against newly promoted teams ahead of the Burnley encounter.
Defeat against Burnley would leave Amorim in a particularly vulnerable position heading into the international break. – Reuters
