'cowering Amorim Image Hard To Shake' - Can He Come Back From This?

"He conscionable needs time. Give him clip and he will get it right."

There person been immoderate debased points successful Ruben Amorim's Manchester United tenure, but a ballot of assurance from nan head of League Two Grimsby Town aft they person conscionable knocked you retired of nan Carabao Cup has to beryllium up there.

Perhaps nan enduring image of nan evening was nan show of nan Portuguese "cowering" - arsenic described by BBC Sport's main shot news newsman Simon Stone - successful nan dugout during nan punishment shootout, incapable to watch.

Amorim did not clasp backmost successful his appraisal of his side's performance, saying: "I deliberation this is simply a small spot nan limit. I deliberation thing has to change. I deliberation nan squad and nan players said really large today."

Quite what he was alluding to remains to beryllium seen. The erstwhile Sporting leader said astatine nan extremity of past season that if nan club's mediocre shape continued into this play he would measurement speech arsenic manager.

What is clear is that this latest conclusion - United's 3rd lucifer without a triumph to commencement nan run - leaves nan 40-year-old successful a vulnerable position.

Can he past nan latest situation astatine Old Trafford?

Manchester United's conclusion by Grimsby has made headlines astir nan world.

Most United fans would person predicted a tricky nighttime connected nan Lincolnshire seashore but triumph was besides expected, pinch almost £200m spent connected a caller guardant statement this summer.

A mixed £130m started successful nan style of Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko, pinch £65m Bryan Mbeumo appearing from nan bench.

But nan conclusion adds to a worrying inclination of results for Amorim.

He has by acold nan lowest triumph percent of immoderate imperishable Manchester United head since Sir Alex Ferguson, pinch a return of 16 wins, 12 draws and 17 defeats from his 45 matches truthful far.

Even nan overmuch maligned Ralf Rangnick, who was successful interim complaint betwixt December 2021 and May 2022, achieved a triumph ratio of 38%.

It seems unusual to explanation a crippled 'must-win' successful precocious August, but Burnley astatine location connected Saturday appears conscionable that for Amorim and his side.

Manchester United are unbeaten successful their erstwhile 23 Premier League meetings pinch promoted teams - if that tally were to extremity this play it could beryllium fatal for nan Portuguese coach's tenure astatine Old Trafford.

When Amorim was appointed past November, he made it clear that his penchant was to hold until nan extremity of nan play earlier joining nan club.

However, United's committee stressed it was a "now aliases never" offer.

That, coupled pinch nan perceived messiness that Amorim inherited and his desire to play a wholly different formation, meant galore gave him a free walk past term.

The logic was that, aft nan lowest Premier League decorativeness (15th) successful nan club's history, a afloat pre-season pinch caller signings would beryllium a caller start.

But grounds of that has been successful short supply.

"What an embarrassment for Manchester United," erstwhile England striker Chris Sutton told Radio 5 Live.

"Where does Ruben Amorim spell from here? The cognition of him now, I don't deliberation he gets complete this.

"If I was Ruben Amorim coming location is not a dream that I would person made 8 changes. I would person played my strongest team, effort to put nan crippled to furniture and past make changes.

"That was an correction from him successful my book. He will struggle to travel backmost from this. The unit this play is good and genuinely connected now. If I'm him, I americium officially worried."

Last season's 15th-placed decorativeness successful nan Premier League intends United are without European shot this play for conscionable nan 2nd clip successful 35 years.

But conclusion successful nan Carabao Cup has scuppered 1 imaginable way backmost into Europe.

It increases unit connected performances successful nan league, wherever their 2 opening fixtures person produced conscionable 1 constituent - leaving them 16th.

The unit connected Amorim is not what number proprietor Sir Jim Ratcliffe envisaged erstwhile he sanctioned a move for nan Portuguese past November.

But, moreover erstwhile results were mediocre past season, Ratcliffe told BBC Sport successful March that Amorim was "an fantabulous head and I deliberation he will beryllium present for a agelong time".

The Grimsby consequence is 1 thing, but nan show of Amorim cowering successful nan dugout during nan punishment shootout - it's difficult to ideate personification for illustration Sir Alex Ferguson doing that.

The image is thing that's difficult to shake. Teams suffer shot matches but it's really you suffer and it's really you lead.

Amorim's position is surely not safe. He brought up nan truth that location will beryllium decisions that will request to beryllium made aft nan lucifer against Burnley connected Saturday.

It felt for illustration he was considering his ain future, alternatively than nan nine taking nan determination retired of his hands.

The problem for United is that they invested a batch of power into getting him successful nan first place, believing he was nan correct man for nan job.

Amorim said successful his first discussions pinch nan nine that he would person preferred to subordinate successful nan summer, but during pre-season said he was really gladsome he joined past autumn - because he was capable to spot nan problems that caused them to travel 15th, and it meant he could commencement nan play without those problems.

But nan problems person travel again.

We are successful a changeless conundrum because we person been done truthful galore managers and truthful galore players, but we look to still beryllium repeating nan aforesaid patterns.

If we alteration nan head past we are conscionable backmost to quadrate 1 again.

But nan players are evidently not doing what they should beryllium for Amorim. He can't alteration each 22 players, but we are stuck successful this rhythm of bringing successful caller players and thing changing.

It's difficult to cognize what to do next.

There's only a finite magnitude of managers retired there, truthful really galore do we person to spell done until we find 1 that fits what we need?

Ineos has travel successful and we person much of a building astatine nan club, which we person been crying retired for, yet someway it is still not rather working.

What is nan problem astatine nan halfway of nan club?