Last month, after Manchester United lost to League Two side Grimsby Town in the EFL Cup, a friend sent me a message.
“He’s definitely leaving, right, mate?” He was referring to Rúben Amorim.
“I don’t know,” I replied.
“I think it’s inevitable. I still hope he can make it work, though,” he answered.
In United’s next game, they lost the Manchester Derby 0-3, and messages started pouring in again.
“Has he given up? It’s like he wants to get sacked,” asked another friend who follows United home and away.
“No, I don’t think he has,” I assured him. Yet when United beat Chelsea a week later—after another long stretch without a match—there was no message at all.
It’s hard to accept that a single win or loss for Manchester United is enough to trigger such emotional swings. This in itself doesn’t help, but there’s a logic to it. Fans have been extremely patient with Amorim; even when the team dropped to their lowest league position in 50 years, they still chanted his name.
Fans have the right to voice their opinions, and these views didn’t form just a few games into the season. Some even argued that when Amorim joined last November—despite the fact that he did take United to a final—his lack of major achievements and poor win rate were impossible to ignore.
Some fans I respect believe things will never work out for United, and never will; others (myself included) think he should be given more time. But my opinion isn’t set in stone. Like all United fans, I worry too. I hear things I like, and things I don’t.
The constant changes and disappointments have left me frustrated. In the same match, I see both consistency and inconsistency. United give their all on the pitch, yet end up fighting for survival in the end. Statistics show United are among the top in the league for touches in the final third, but other data reveals the quality of chances they create is very poor.
Is United’s success this season still far from what we expected?
For the club (and for me as a fan), success this season means qualifying for next season’s UEFA Champions League. Given that this is Manchester United, that bar seems low—but for a team that finished 15th last season, it’s actually quite high.
It’s also achievable for a team and club going through massive changes. If half of the players who beat Chelsea this season are still in the squad in two years, I’ll definitely be shocked—but this season is certainly much better than last.
Last season, United only managed 42 points in the league. Aston Villa, who finished sixth, got 66 points. Yet United conceded only 3 more goals than Villa—the difference is that United scored far too few.
That’s why United signed three strikers: Benjamin Šeško, Matheus Cunha, and Brian Mbeumo. The club is very satisfied with how the three have performed so far.
The coaching staff are amazed by the magical changes they’ve seen in training, and are eager to see this magic translate to matches. They feel that once United starts winning consistently, the team’s potential will be limitless.
The club is in a period of transition. The loss to Grimsby meant the opening pain was more than just a single defeat. The Carabao Cup matters a lot to United, as the team needs more games this season and more chances to win a trophy. Without the League Cup, there will be more long gaps without fixtures, fewer fresh talking points, fewer opportunities for young players, and one less chance for Amorim to claim a title.
Finishing sixth should be achievable. That would mean winning around 7 more games than last season, but still losing about 10 league matches. Every defeat, especially against top teams, will hurt—but it shouldn’t signal doom.
The people in charge of the team want to lay a solid foundation. They can’t get everything right, but United now has a clear plan—and that means the club’s foundations aren’t built on sand.
Player signings are part of a long-term plan, not a short-term fix. But to keep fans confident, United needs to win as many games as possible.
