Chris Sutton has shared his perspective on Ruben Amorim’s precarious start as Manchester United’s manager, expressing confidence that the Portuguese tactician is not in immediate danger of losing his job. However, Sutton has stressed the urgent need for the players to eliminate what he described as “under-12s” level mistakes to give their new coach a fighting chance at turning the club’s fortunes around.
Since his appointment on November 11th, following a high-profile move from Sporting CP to replace Erik ten Hag, Amorim has endured a turbulent introduction to life at Old Trafford. Across the ten games under his management, Manchester United have lost five, crashed out of the EFL Cup, and plummeted to an alarming 14th place in the Premier League standings. These struggles culminated in their most recent setback—a disheartening 2-0 loss to Wolves—which leaves the club perilously closer to the relegation zone than to the coveted top-four spots.
Despite the bleak statistics, Sutton believes Amorim’s position remains secure for now. Nevertheless, he has not held back in his criticism of the squad’s performances, particularly highlighting repeated errors by goalkeepers Andre Onana and Altay Bayindir. Sutton pointed to their costly mistakes in recent matches against Wolves and Tottenham, underscoring how such lapses have undermined Amorim’s attempts to stabilize the team.
In his BBC Sport predictions column, Sutton candidly remarked, “I’m not worried about Amorim being sacked, but it’s almost impossible for a manager to succeed when his goalkeeper concedes directly from a corner. That’s schoolboy football—stuff you’d expect in under-12s matches, not in the Premier League. And yet, Manchester United have managed to make this mistake twice in two weeks. It’s simply unacceptable at this level.”
Reflecting on his own past assessments of the team, Sutton admitted he had been overly optimistic. “Last week, I predicted a draw at Wolves because I didn’t want to upset United fans who already give me plenty of stick on social media. But honestly, I was being far too kind. The way they’re playing right now, they deserve every bit of criticism they’re getting,” he confessed.
Sutton was also quick to point out that Manchester United’s current woes cannot be pinned solely on Amorim. The manager has had limited time to implement his philosophy or make significant changes to the squad. Still, Sutton did not shy away from delivering a blunt assessment of the team’s present condition. “Right now, this Manchester United side is simply a poor team. Amorim needs time and the opportunity to bring in his own players, but for now, the reality is that they’re miles away from where they need to be.”
The former striker’s comments lay bare the challenges facing Amorim as he navigates a stormy start to his Manchester United tenure. While the manager may have the club’s backing for the time being, it is evident that drastic improvements on the pitch are necessary to relieve the mounting pressure and steer the team away from what could becom
e a crisis.