Manchester United coach Ruben Amorim‘s future is in doubt as the Club shortlist possible replacements.
The Portuguese coach faces tremendous pressure after another disappointing defeat, and the club management is quietly looking into other alternatives for Amorim’s replacement.
Saturday’s 3-1 loss to Brentford, among others, had sealed another painful chapter in what has turned out to be a nightmare season for the Red Devils.
Amorim’s record can be read as very grim: 17 losses in the Premier League from just 33 matches since he took over in November last year.
The team now surprisingly sits in 14th place on the league table, which is their worst start in a Premier League campaign in more than three decades.
Such falling from grace is dramatic for United, which is seen as one of the best clubs in the world.
Statistics paint a much bleaker picture when looked at closely. Amorim has only succeeded in steering his team to nine wins from his 33 Premier League games, and in all this time, he has never recorded back-to-back wins in the competition.
This seems to be the biggest point of concern for supporters and club officials. United was also eliminated surprisingly early in the EFL Cup after losing on penalties to lesser-league Grimsby Town in one of the more shocking results in world football history.
It all came to a head in January, when the manager expressed his disgust at his side, “probably the worst team in the history” of Manchester United, after losing 3-1 to Brighton.
For a manager to speak that way about his own squad is just unprecedented and tells you how desperate the situation really is in Old Trafford.
Pressure continues to mount on Amorim, but club sources insist he still enjoys the confidence of the ownership group headed by Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
The INEOS chief was instrumental in bringing the former Sporting CP manager to Manchester and has heavily invested in his project.
The club spent over 250 million pounds for new signings for Amorim this summer. Big names like Matheus Cunha, Sesko, and Bryan Mbeumo were added to the squad but are struggling to adapt to his system.
Manchester United Are Considering Other Options
While publicly admitting their support for Amorim, United would be privately monitoring the situation for potential successors should the results not change.
The three leading names are Oliver Glasner ,Andoni Iraola and Fabien Hurzeler according to Sky Sports. One of these three will reportedly take charge If Amorim is sacked.
Oliver Glasner will offer United the best advantage among those under possible consideration for replacement.
Crystal Palace this season can be said to have emerged among the top sides in the English Premier League.
His coaching has already led Palace to its first piece of trophy winnings in club history last season when they finally won the FA Cup by beating Liverpool.
They have managed to continue this form in this season, remaining unbeaten in their last 18 games.
Their recent win against Liverpool, 2-1, underlined Glasner’s tactical awareness and ability to get results against top opponents.
With their performance, the Liverpool winning streak was ended and demonstrated Palace’s improvement under Glasner with a solid defense and increasingly threatening attack.
It could have advantages as well as disadvantages for Manchester United. Indeed, he is operating within the same tactical framework as Amorim, who has been trying to apply at Old Trafford.
Hence, it could give the players continuity. But then again, to some within the club, that might be seen as a deterrent because they would prefer something completely different in tactical approach.
The German tactician has an impressive European record which gives him a little edge over the shortlisted managers.
He won the Europa League in 2022 with Frankfurt. That achievement proved his capability in handling pressure during high-profile matches.
One of the potential problems about Glasner would be his contract situation at Crystal Palace, with the deal being up at the end of this season.
Despite Palace having been so brilliant for a long time, he has not yet signed a new deal with the club. Perhaps this uncertainty will play in Manchester United’s favor, should they decide to make a change.
Andoni Iraola is yet another equally interesting option looking at Manchester United hierarchy. The Spanish coach has worked wonders at Bournemouth since taking charge two years ago.
He had led his team to an impressive ninth-place finish in the previous season, and this season too they are doing well.
Some important players for him, including Dean Huijsen, Ilya Zabarnyi, and Milos Kerkez, were transferred to Real Madrid, PSG, and Liverpool, respectively.
This has made Bournemouth’s 3rd position in the EPL table very amazing per the players he has, especially when compared with the big teams.
Even after losing most of his key players from last season, Iraola’s continued high performance is an excellent testament to how good and flexible a coach he is.
The 42-year-old former Athletic Bilbao defender has earned fame as a coach that demands attractive possession football from his teams, yet manages to install discipline in defensive matters.
His teams are well-organized and disciplined but creative and brilliant in the final third. That would score with the Manchester United supporters who have grown tired of their team’s current style of play.
Similarly, the security for Bournemouth is maintained with Iraola’s contract running until 2026. However, it also opens up the possibility that he could be available if Manchester United came calling with a decent offer.
Fabien Hurzeler is considered as the third option should they fail to land either Andoni Araola and Oliver Glasner.
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