Man Utd boss Ruben Amorim is safe for now but the Red Devils have decided what would ‘prove fatal’ for the head coach this season, according to reports.
The Red Devils had a miserable 2024/25 campaign with Amorim leading his side to a 15th-placed finish in the Premier League, while he lost the Europa League final against Tottenham.
After only getting one point from their opening two Premier League fixtures against Arsenal and Fulham, and losing to League Two Grimsby Town in the League Cup, Amorim was already under pressure.
There were rumours that defeat to Burnley could cost Amorim his job at Man Utd but Bruno Fernandes scored a last-gasp penalty to secure a 3-2 victory over Scott Parker’s side.
And now journalist Dean Jones has told Flashscore that Man Utd ‘plan to stick with Amorim’ and INEOS ‘will not be decided by a knee-jerk reaction to one or two bad results’.
Man Utd want to win the Premier League title for the first time since 2013 by 2028 and ‘believe changing philosophy now would be a greater risk than persevering with Amorim.’
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But the Red Devils do have one wish, Jones adds: ‘The expectation is Champions League football. Falling short of that target may be tolerated if progress is evident, but missing out on European competition entirely would likely prove fatal to Amorim’s tenure.’
Former Man Utd chief scout Mick Brown – who is still well-connected at Old Trafford – thought Amorim was “an absolute disgrace” during their matches against Grimsby and Burnley.
Brown told Football Insider: “We all know anything can happen in a penalty shoot-out. You would hope Man United wouldn’t be in that situation against Grimsby, but the shoot-out itself isn’t worth getting worked up over.
“But I was absolutely fuming at the manager’s body language and presentation. Man United were staring down the barrel against Burnley, if they lost or even drew that game it would have been a disaster for them.
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“They threw away their lead, but then got a penalty with virtually the last kick of the game.
“Bruno Fernandes had to walk up and take that penalty, in front of 70,000 people and millions watching on TV, with all of the pressure of having lost the shoot-out mid-week.
“The manager on the sidelines throughout was doing all he could to distance himself. It was like ‘this is nothing to do with me, I’m out’ – what sort of message does that send to the players?
“The manager is hiding with his head in his hands and his feet up, taking no responsibility and placing all of the pressure on his players.
“Bruno Fernandes deserves a lot of praise for the penalty against Burnley under pressure. But the manager’s body language and actions were an absolute disgrace.
“He can’t even stand there and give his players a bit of confidence and support in what was a very difficult position for them, I couldn’t believe it.
“I was very, very disappointed in him for that, more so than I was about the Grimsby result.”
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