Rúben Amorim has been told where he must guide Manchester United to in the Premier League table this season after a 15th-placed finish last campaign.
In an interview with WDW Bingo, former Manchester United defender Danny Simpson has spoken about the team’s long-term aspirations for Ruben Amorim’s second season in charge.
After a weekend of results that, on the whole, benefited the Reds’ position in the table, Rúben Amorim and his men had the opportunity to climb as high as fourth in the Premier League table for the first time since under Erik ten Hag, in a tie against Everton.
However, the Reds failed to inspire at Old Trafford despite having a one-man advantage for 75 minutes, falling short in a dismal 1-0 loss.
Following a 15th-place finish in the 24/25 season, the club’s worst in the Premier League era, Simpson believes United should aim to finish in the Champions League spots at least this season.
Simpson feels Champions League spots are neccessary
Coming off a five-game unbeaten run before the Everton defeat, which included big wins against Brighton and away at Anfield, Simpson maintained confidence in Amorim and his team.
“If I were in that dressing-room with the United players as a part of that team, I would be looking at my teammates, thinking we must finish in the top four at the very least,’ Simpson explained.
“I’m confident United have turned a corner and are on the up as a side. For me, you can see the change in the team over the past month or so.
“Just look at how they are reacting to going behind now; they were leading 1-0 and then trailing 2-1 away at both Forest and Spurs in recent weeks, but they stuck to the plan, battled on to the end of the game, and rescued a point in injury time twice.”
This praise of the team’s character and resilience was something Simpson later said reminded him of the Ferguson teams of old.
“That’s the type of character United used to have under Sir Alex Ferguson that we haven’t seen under Ruben Amorim before,” Simpson continued. “That team spirit has been lacking in recent years, and it’s great to see it back in the side.”
What should United’s aims for the season really be?
With United seemingly starting to hit form after a year of struggle in the Premier League under Amorim, the Everton loss has been a real dagger to their ambitions.
After finally putting together some domestic form, winning back-to-back Premier League matches for the first time under his tenure, this marked the beginning of a shift. Still, it feels undone by the poor display on Monday evening.
However, the bigger picture remains more positive than last season, with the club having won four, drawn two, and lost two of their last eight fixtures.
Despite last season’s failings, now without the added pressure and constraints of playing in Europe, Amorim has had much-needed time with his players to fully learn and understand his system, as evidenced on the pitch this season, with many noticeable changes in United’s play.
With a potential top four finish seeming highly difficult to achieve at the beginning of the season, United now have an opportunity to seize it with no big six fixtures in the next nine games and really establish themselves as a serious team.
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