The Knives Are Out
Rooney as “no faith…”, Gary Neville says he ”is worried…”, Jamie Carragher says “it will be tough for Amorim to survive the current wave of pressure…”
Putting aside last season, seeing as Amorim was given a susbtantial budget to recruit in the summer and on the face of it spent well, Mbeumo, Cunha, Sesko, Lammens, there was definately scope for improvement this season. Who could argue with those buys?
But…
They currently languish in 13th position.
The board is backing Amorim, for now. I am all in favour of a Manager being given time and I think 2 years is reasonable for him to get his ducks in a row. With the proviso relegation is not staring you in the face.
So do the Man Utd board stick or twist?
Amorim… should his job be on the chopping block?
Lets get to it. Here are some of this season’s key stats for Manchester United (Premier League only).
Some key metric rankings for Manchester United | Season 2025-26
Expected Goals and Shots
United have had 3 penalties this season and Bruno Fernandes has missed two. How consequential were those misses when you are in the results business and they were at influential times in both games?
United rank in 1st in xG metrics and 3rd in another (as in the above chart). For ‘Shots on Target’ they are ranked 4th. These stats would suggest they are actually playing well enough but not converting.
Possession and Penetration
All the other stats covered here ultimately relate to possession and penetration. Carries into and touches in the box see them ranked 5th.
Hot Take
But the results are not forth-coming. Maybe this is why the board is backing Amorim. The club will have far more stats than what I can show here to gauge how the United ship is sailing and just maybe that is why they are publically backing their Manager?
Based on the chart stats United could have currently been somewhere around 4th to 6th, not a lowly 13th.
If United do get their juggernaut steaming ahead under captain Amorim and first mate Fernandes (who can question his commitment) then it wouldn’t be a surprise would it? Mmmm… Not sure how we went from football to sailing but whatever. Maybe Rooney could have a bit more faith for now. If they do start winning consistently then we will see the United players carry themselves with a bit of a swagger liked they used to.
Disclaimer: I am NOT a United fan BTW.
All stats for this analysis are provided by FBref
FROM THE DUGOUT
""I tell the players that the bus is moving. This club has to progress. And the bus wouldn't wait for them. I tell them to get on board."
Sir Alex Ferguson
The Devil is in the Detail