Talk of relief is to give Man Utd a necessary ‘shock’ All Football

Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim said the reason he started talking about the possibility of sacking is because the club needed a shock.

Amorim’s side were beaten 2-0 at home to Newcastle United on Monday, their fifth defeat in their last six league games.

That result has left Manchester United in 14th in the Premier League table, their lowest position at the turn of the year in the league since 1989, and closer to the relegation zone than the top six in terms of points.

United are seven points ahead of third-bottom Ipswich Town, as they trail sixth-placed Manchester City by nine points.

“People are tired of excuses in this club. Sometimes I talk about destruction because our club needs a shock. It’s a shock,” said Amorim.

Newcastle’s result was United’s third league defeat in a row at Old Trafford, the first time that had happened since February 1979.

United were last relegated, meanwhile, in the 1973-74 season. Their current run of six straight defeats in all competitions in December represents only the third time in the club’s history that they have lost that many games in a month.

The game ends.#MUFC || #MUNEW

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) December 30, 2024

“When you have these moments, especially in the big clubs, it’s very difficult to turn things around,” said Amorim.

“Especially when you don’t have much time to train the basics, to cope with the difficult moments. We have to recognize our situation, the way you see the league, everyone can beat everyone. We have to win games and focus on survival.”

Amorim was later asked if he felt embarrassed that a club of United’s stature was under threat of relegation and shouldering some of the blame himself.

“It’s my fault at this moment too because I think the team hasn’t improved,” he said.

“It’s a bit lost in this moment. Being the coach of Manchester United and losing a lot of games is a bit embarrassing. But we have to cope with the difficult moments.”

Since his first game in charge against Ipswich, only Southampton (seven) have lost more games in all competitions than United among Premier League clubs.

They face league leaders Liverpool on Sunday, having lost 3-0 in the reverse fixture at Old Trafford in September.