RUBEN AMORIM told Manchester United’s stars they are ALL on trial before the January transfer window.
Erik ten Hag and sporting director Dan Ashworth have already been axed this season — and new boss Amorim admits more exits will follow if results do not improve.
Ahead of taking on Viktoria Plzen this evening in the Europa League, he said: “We have good players, we need time to teach them our ideas and then we’ll see because this is a massive club.
“If we don’t win, the coach goes, the player goes — so you have to know that.”
Hit-or-miss opening results for the Old Trafford faithful have also left Amorim with no qualms about playing the pantomime villain as he considers changing the cast.
The problem is that, after a £660million splurge under Ten Hag in just over two years, there are just beans rather than gold coins left to work with.
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Amorim is ready to search in the land of the giants to start with, believing that the squad is just too short to deal with set-pieces at both ends of the pitch.
United have conceded three goals from corners in the last two games, as well as a looping header from Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood.
And if United’s players rest for a minute in Amorim’s set-up, it is worth reminding them: “He’s behind you!”
Amorim said: “I’m really focused to see my players and to understand my players.
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“We have to focus on what we have. We have to focus on the academy and to have a clear profile of the players. So it’s a lot of details you have to manage.
“You can see at set-pieces, sometimes you look at our team, we are a small team compared to others.
“Every detail counts and we have to be very clear in the profiles, arrange all the process and go to that phase of buying and selling players.
“We have to improve as a team, we have to arrange a lot of things in our club before thinking just about buying or selling players.”
If anyone thought Amorim was a modern-day footballing Merlin who could immediately magic better performances out of this team, two successive defeats have suggested otherwise.
The limitations seen under Ten Hag were evident away to Arsenal and at home to Forest.
Amorim said that against title-chasing Arsenal in particular, you could see how far behind a team of that calibre United were.
It got no better against Forest — and Amorim has no time on the training pitch to try to change things with games coming thick and fast.
The Red Devils travelled to the Czech Republic yesterday ahead of tonight’s Europa League game against Viktoria Plzen. And on Sunday it is the Manchester derby at the Etihad.
Amorim said: “I know it’s a big job. It’s really tough to win in our league. We have to improve. There’s a lot at stake in this moment — we have a lot to do, a lot of games. We don’t have time to train.
Inside Man Utd chaos with Dan Ashworth axed just five months into job
By Neil Custis
The blame game has another victim as things go from bad to worse at Old Trafford.
Manchester United’s first sporting director, Dan Ashworth, arrived in the summer and is gone before Christmas.
SunSport exclusively revealed in November that there was trouble at mill.
That the new senior management team were already blaming each other for the mess the club were in.
Chief executive Omar Berrada and Ashworth were trying to wash their hands of it all, claiming they had arrived too late after serving their gardening leave.
New part owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe said making decisions was all down to them.
Meanwhile, Jason Wilcox thought it was all a mess under previous boss Erik ten Hag but was part of the team that encouraged him to stay after every other candidate ran for cover.
Defeat Nottingham Forest in December, after their second-half capitulation at Arsenal a few days previously, proved too much.
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“Sometimes I have one idea in the first week, second week I have a different idea and then we have to see what happens as everything is so close, all the games before what is happening in the window in January.”
United currently stand 13th in the Premier League but Amorim already has his sights set on the ultimate goal of winning the title during his time in charge.
He said: “We want to take this club to win the Premier League and be an elite club, like this club should be.”
For now he understands that this season, reaching the Champions League has to be a realistic target.
To do that, it could be easier to do so by winning the Europa League, as Jose Mourinho accepted back in 2017 and achieved that by beating Ajax in the final in Stockholm.
Amorim said: “You can do the maths and understand what is needed for the Champions League and look at the table and see that the Europa League is easier.”
United are currently 12th in the Europa League standings on the same points as tonight opponents Viktoria Plzen in the Doosan Arena.
The top eight qualify automatically for the knockout stage and Amorim says it is vital they do that to avoid a two-legged play-off in February.
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He said: “It’s really important to go to the next stage. We need to win this game because of all of that.
“If you pass to the next stage without the play-off, we take off two games.”
Man Utd ratings vs Nottingham Forest
MANCHESTER UNTED slipped to another defeat under Ruben Amorim after being shocked 3-2 at Old Trafford by Nottingham Forest.
Here’s how Neil Custis rated the players…
ANDRE ONANA – 3
Had an absolute shocker. For the second Forest goal Morgan Gibbs-White shot is straight down the middle along the floor.
It maybe swerves a foot at most and he somehow couldn’t stop it. For the third he just let it loop over his head. He cannot command his area.
LENY YORO – 6
The 19-year-old was making his first start for United and immediately looked unphased. Ruben Amorim has high hopes for someone he calls ‘a special talent’.
He is easing him into the team after his summer injury and subbed him just past the hour.
MATTHIJS DE LIGT – 5
Amorim has tasked him with bringing the ball out from the back to set United moves going.
Looked good in the first balf but what was he doing for Forest’s third as he let Chris Wood’s header go thinking it was going wide.
LISANDRO MARTINEZ – 4
It was said his lack of height would not be a problem but it was after 80 seconds here as Nikola Milenkovic headed home on 80 seconds.
Then for Forest’s third he didn’t known what to do as the ball went over him at the far post.
AMAD DIALLO – 7
Looking more and more like a United star with his positive forward runs from his new wing-back role.
Had a couple of good chances himself but shots were weak, then made a great run and cut back before setting up Fernandes for United’s second.
MANUEL UGARTE – 7
Looked constantly concerned with his defensive duties and understandably.
Is a solid presence on the pitch though and a decent buy compared to plenty of others.
KOBBIE MAINOO – 6
Ugarte was having a good game in front of the back three allowing Mainoo to get further forward in the second-half when he became more of a threat.
DIOGO DALOT – 6
Compared to Amad on the opposite flank did not have much of an influence. Got forward a lot more in the second-half.
BRUNO FERNANDES – 7
Was always involved. But does the captain really have to contest every single decision the referee makes against his team.
Made up for his loose pass that gave away possession for Forest’s second by scoring a fine goal himself.
RASMUS HOJLUND – 6
That’s three goals in three games after his pair against Bodo Glimt but there is still not enough movement from the front man.
ALEJANDRO GARNACHO – 5
Not his best game and looked far from happy when he was hauled off early in the second-half for Marcus Rashford.
SUBSTITUTIONS…
MARCUS RASHFORD (for Garnacho, 58) – 6
These are the games he should be starting and starring in but that’s just not the case.
MAZRAOUI (for Yoro 66) – 6
One of those the recruitment team did at least get right.
HARRY MAGUIRE (for De Ligt 65) – 6
When Amorim decides on his best starting eleven Maguire should be in it.
JOSHUA ZIRKZEE (for Ugarte 76) – 5
Not surprisingly failed to have an impact.
MASON MOUNT (for Fernandes 76) – 6
Amorim has high hopes for him but he is still to convince the United faithful. Needs a long injury free run.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
