Spanish manager eyeing himself as Rúben Amorim replacement with Manchester United boss “on the tightrope”

One Spanish manager is reportedly eyeing himself as a potential replacement for Rúben Amorim amid the latter’s struggles at Manchester United.

Rúben Amorim’s first three months at Manchester United have been anything but smooth since taking over from Erik ten Hag.

Appointed in mid-November with United struggling in 13th place in the Premier League and managing just one win in the Europa League, the 40-year-old set out to rebuild a club in need of direction.

There have been encouraging moments, including impressive away wins over Arsenal and Manchester City, but inconsistency remains a major issue, with some United fans growing restless over the team’s form.

In the Premier League, United have won just four of their 15 matches under Amorim, though their performances in the Europa League and FA Cup have provided some relief.

Off the pitch, challenges have been just as demanding. Three senior attackers left on loan during the winter transfer window without replacements arriving, while Lisandro Martínez and Amad have been ruled out for the remainder of the season due to injury.

Xavi eyeing up United position

Amid Amorim’s struggles, some are wondering if he is the right man to lead United forward. Therefore, there has been talks surrounding who could theoretically replace him at the club.

According to Spanish outlet Relevo, former Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez was one manager United sounded out when they were searching for replacements for Erik ten Hag. However, the Spaniard rejected their approach as he wanted to take a year-long sabbatical from management.

Now, with United under pressure for better results, Xavi is said to be somewhat interested in the Old Trafford possition.

According to the report, the 45-year-old was banking on United hiring a temporary manager until the end of the season and then taking over during the 2025 summer window.

Still, amid Amorim being “on the tightrope”, there is a chance Xavi may take the reigns at the end of the campaign anyway.

United should stick with Amorim

Although the club have undergone significant struggles during the opening few months of Amorim’s tenure, it would be foolish for United to sack the 40-year-old.

Read More: Rúben Amorim must start Manchester United duo vs Ipswich despite Alan Shearer’s “hopeless” claim

He was able to sign only one significant player in the winter window as Patrick Dorgu joined as a left wing-back, and two of his most important players, Amad and Martínez, have been ruled out through injury, while others, such as Mason Mount and Luke Shaw, have barely played due to injuries, too.

There have been some questionable decisions made by the Portuguese head coach, such as his early insistence to play two full-backs as wing-backs, but he must be given time to understand his squad.

The club are set to embark back to the USA for pre-season, and this will offer Amorim significant time on the training pitch for his players to start understanding and spending time adapting to his system.

With United spending upwards of around £20 million on sacking Ten Hag and bringing in Amorim, the club must give him time to succeed rather than firing him this summer.

Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is released every Wednesday at 6 pm (BST) on the United View YouTube channel.