Just eight days on from Manchester United’s derby victory at the Etihad, a sudden realisation has hit Ruben Amorim.
He was under no impression this would be an easy task but it’s surely now hitting home the enormity of the challenge laid out in front of him.
The Red Devils are struggling for consistency and that problem was laid bare in the run-up to Christmas.
That away win over rivals Manchester City was euphoric but it was followed up by a 4-3 loss to Tottenham and then a 3-0 defeat at home to Bournemouth. Not great.
There are a host of problems to sort out, not least Marcus Rashford’s future, but Amorim also needs to get more of a tune out of the attack and importantly, fix up the defence.
Only one team in this season’s Premier League (Wolves) have shipped more goals from set-pieces with United undone once more by a set-play when Cherries centre-back Dean Huijsen was allowed the freedom of Old Trafford to head home on Sunday.
#1 Wolves
14
#2 Man United
9
#3 Southampton
8
#4 West Ham
7
#5 Leicester
5
So, where does the new manager start? Well, he needs to get rid of some deadwood to allow the freedom to bring in players who will actually fit his tactical style.
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The biggest elephant in the room at the moment is Rashford. The Carrington academy graduate got Amorim’s tenure off to a flyer by scoring inside the opening minute during his first game in charge away at Ipswich.
Sadly, since then, the forward hasn’t made a great impression on the former Sporting boss. He’s been left out of the last three match day squads and an exit in January feels inevitable.
According to some reports, Barcelona are one of the leading suitors for his signature at this moment in time.
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1 ByMatt DawsonDec 23, 2024