Manchester United fans knew that when Ruben Amorim took over from Erik ten Hag last Autumn it wasn’t going to be an easy ride, but it has perhaps been rockier than anybody could have predicted.
The Premier League campaign at Manchester United has been totally unacceptable, with the club currently sat in 16th place with just one game left of the season despite having been within touching distance of the top four at the time Amorim took over.
They have won two league games in the last three months, against relegated Leicester City and Ipswich Town, and in Ruben Amorim‘s time in charge they have won more Europa League games than in the league.
That is not to say that this is all his fault, he has been thrown straight into the fryer mid-season and had next to no backing, with a squad that we already know needs improvement. But he has played his part in United’s horror show of a season.
A number of fans online hold the belief that, should Tottenham Hotspur win Wednesday’s Europa League final, the Portuguese manager should lose his job. UtdDistrict discuss whether or not this is a fair decision to make.
Should you make decisions for the future based on one game?
Many fans criticised INEOS for the decision to keep Erik ten Hag last summer. It was briefed before the FA Cup final that he would be losing his job, yet he ended up staying on afterwards and many fans felt the new ownership were swayed by the final victory over Manchester City.
As we saw, this did not work out for the best. With this in mind, should Amorim’s future then be decided by the outcome of the Europa League final?
Look, if United lose the final then it is an absolute disgrace. Even if they were to win, it does not come close to redeeming the season that has just happened. But when you make decisions based on one sole game, even if it is an extremely important game, you are going into dangerous territory.
If United were to win the final and Amorim to be sacked, it would not necessarily be unfair – albeit not the preference – given how his reign has gone so far. The league campaign has been unacceptable and Amorim was very lucky to stay in Europe after the Lyon tie.
But as of right now, the plan is that he leads the team into next season. Should this one game hold such magnitude that he loses his job if the outcome isn’t what United need? Short-term thinking is not what is going to fix the culture at Manchester United.
Amorim needs his own team first
At the moment, this United side is not Amorim’s own. Yes, players such as Bruno Fernandes and Amad are clear pillars of the club’s future, but Amorim has not had a real chance to make this squad his own yet.
This does not just refer to financial backing, but actually having time to get to know the players he already has and plans to keep. Time with some players who look like they may be on their way out could actually sway his view, and they could become key players – just look at Casemiro’s resurgence in recent months.
At the same time, new players are very much needed. Whilst winning the Europa League final is key for United to be able to sign players due to the financial incentive and European football prospect, there is expected to be turnover at Old Trafford regardless this summer.
Pre-season has become hyper-commercialised, but it is actually key for players and coaches. With such a packed schedule in the season, things such as raising fitness levels and getting to know your players are not really feasible for new managers to do during the campaign.
The summer window and pre-season gives him a chance to properly implement his principles, make changes to his squad, and get to know his players. On the player side it is extremely beneficial too, for example someone like Rasmus Højlund has not yet had a full pre-season at United.
Whether or not the club are to let Amorim go, which is highly unlikely, doing it just based off the Europa League final is unwise. Especially when they could well be about to properly kick off under his guidance.
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