Amorim Suggests Exit if Manchester United Don’t Reform this Summer | OneFootball

Amorim’s Stark Warning as Manchester United Slide Towards Oblivion

The final whistle at Old Trafford brought more than just another defeat — it signalled a reckoning. Manchester United, a club with a century-old legacy of fighting spirit and fearsome pride, is now dangerously close to becoming an institution of apathy. And the man at the centre of it all, Ruben Amorim, didn’t mince his words.

In the aftermath of yet another dismal performance — a 2-0 defeat to a West Ham side winless in their last eight games — Amorim confronted the rot head-on. His post-match remarks laid bare the decay that’s now woven into the club’s fabric, his tone more surgeon than spokesperson. “We are losing the feeling that we are a massive club and it’s the end of the world to lose a game at home,” he admitted. “If we are not scared of losing a game as Manchester United and don’t have that fear anymore, it is the most dangerous thing a big club can have.”

Photo: IMAGO

Winless Run Symbolises Cultural Collapse

It is not just about losing — it is about how they lose. This is a team that appears bereft of urgency, belief or cohesion. The West Ham defeat marked Manchester United’s joint-longest winless run in Premier League history — seven games without victory, a grim echo of the autumn of 1992.

Since 26 January, United’s only league wins have come against two sides already consigned to relegation — Ipswich Town and Leicester City. The league table, once the source of fierce pride in red quarters, now offers only shame. United sit 16th on 39 points, a single rung above the trapdoor trio and Europa League final opponents Tottenham Hotspur.

Photo IMAGO

On current trajectory, United are heading for their worst points return since the 1930-31 relegation season, when they would have accumulated just 29 points under the modern system. Not since the pre-war days have such numbers been bandied about in relation to this club.

“It’s a decisive moment in the history of the club,” Amorim confessed. And who could argue? Nine home defeats in the Premier League — a number only matched three times before, all in the club’s bleakest eras. Losing 17 league games in a single season is territory not visited since 1973-74 — the last time United dropped out of the top flight.

Europa League Final Overshadowed by Institutional Decay

The temptation is to look to Bilbao, where a Europa League final against Spurs awaits. A trophy, a Champions League place, and potentially £100 million in revenue are on the line. But Amorim is unmoved.

“Everybody is thinking about the [Europa League] final. The final is not the issue. We have bigger things to think about,” he stressed. “The final is by far the smallest problem in our club. We need to change something that is deeper than this.”

Amorim knows that one night of triumph in Europe cannot gloss over the systemic failings at home. His concern runs deeper — through training ground routines, boardroom attitudes, and player mentalities.

“In the Europa League, we don’t play quite well but we have a little bit of that urgency in having to win games,” he explained. “We manage to find a way to win. We are so focused. In these games in the Premier League, sometimes we are not focused. It’s hard to explain that. There is a lack of urgency in everything we do. It’s a big concern.”

The culture of complacency he described is both damning and depressingly familiar. “There’s a lack of urgency when we’re defending our box and there’s a lack of urgency when we are near the box,” Amorim continued. “We need to be more aggressive and feel that it is the end of the world when we are not winning a game.”

Managerial Self-Reflection and Harsh Realities

Few managers at this level speak so candidly, especially about their own position. Amorim, facing down the scale of the club’s decline, has admitted he may not be the right man to lead them forward — unless sweeping changes are implemented.

“If we start like this, if the feeling is still here, we should give the space to different people,” he said. “We need to be really strong in the summer and to be brave because we will not have a next season like this.”

Amorim’s vision of bravery is not restricted to transfer policy or tactical adjustments — it’s philosophical. He is urging the club to rediscover its identity, to regain the sense of jeopardy and ambition that once fuelled its dominance. And he is willing to walk away if that doesn’t happen.

“I’m talking about myself and the culture in the club and the culture in the team. We need to change that,” he said. “Everybody here has to think seriously about a lot of things.”

His use of the word “embarrassed” wasn’t theatrical. It was clinical. “How is a manager of Manchester United supposed to feel in that position? Embarrassed.”

Summer Surgery or Terminal Decline?

What comes next will define not just Amorim’s fate but the trajectory of Manchester United as a footballing power. The club’s ownership — now a complex structure involving Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS and the ever-looming Glazer presence — must back their manager not just with money, but with reform. Redundancies, budget cuts, and internal belt-tightening are already in motion as losses surpass £370 million across five years.

But it is not accounts that fill the Stretford End. It is pride, heritage, and hope. Those qualities have been leaking away, game by game, defeat by defeat.

Amorim’s honesty is jarring for some. Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy, speaking on BBC’s Match of the Day, felt the messaging had turned too bleak. “I get confused with some of Amorim’s interviews and the amount of negativity that comes from them,” Murphy remarked. “I would like to hear more solution-based answers.”

But that assumes Amorim is talking to the media. He is not. He is talking to his squad, to his board, to the soul of the club. The solutions are not tweaks or tactical wrinkles. They are existential.

“We need to change something that is deeper than this. Playing in the Premier League and Champions League for us is the moon. We need to know that,” he said. “I’m not concerned about the final. They will be focused but I don’t know what is best, if it’s playing in the Champions League or not.”

The bigger question lingers: is there still a Champions League club hidden within Manchester United, or just the ghost of one?