Ruben Amorim sack verdict as Man United decision grows clearer after Brentford defeat

Manchester United's winless start on the road continued as they were beaten at Brentford on Saturday, and the pressure is rising on under-fire head coach Ruben Amorim

Ruben Amorim's future has become the centre of increased speculation once again after Manchester United suffered a 3-1 loss at Brentford. The Reds were beaten at the Gtech Community Stadium as Igor Thiago scored twice and Mathias Jensen netted late on to secure the win for the home side.

Benjamin Sesko scored his first United goal in the first half but it didn't matter to the end result, as United were left to rue a missed penalty from Bruno Fernandes and defensive mistakes in west London.

Defeat for the Reds leaves them down in 14th in the Premier League table, with United picking up just seven points from their opening six matches. They have scored just seven times in the process.

As for Amorim, he has won 18, drew 12 and lost 18 of his 48 games in charge at Old Trafford. That is a real damning record and one that has put the Portuguese under more pressure.

With this in mind, should United sack Amorim or keep hold? Here, our Manchester Evening News writers have taken a look at the situation and delivered their verdicts...

Kieran King

I said a couple of weeks ago that Manchester United should sack Ruben Amorim and replace him with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer until the end of the season. I haven't changed my stance in that Amorim should be axed, but I do think that Crystal Palace's Oliver Glasner should become the club's new head coach NOW.

Amorim's approach and his 3-4-2-1 formation has not had the desired impact on his group of players and I do think that Glasner would get more out of the United squad.

He has transformed Palace into a competitive Premier League outfit and one that is winning trophies - something United have done just once in the last two-and-a-half years.

I think he would be the perfect next appointment for United and the club should do it as soon as possible or risk having another mediocre campaign and one that results in no European football.

Isaac Seelochan

I think this is one of the most damning defeats of Amorim's tenure so far as he's had a week to work with the players after earning a win over Chelsea last weekend.

United should have come into this game with some confidence and belief that they can now go on a run. Instead, they started Saturday's game in shambolic fashion and never recovered.

How much longer will United put up with this? Their head coach has received so much goodwill and leeway, but results continue to spiral.

Yes, managers need time to turn things around, but can anyone say with any confidence that United will ever be a force under Amorim? Of course not, and with defeat after defeat - what is the point of all this?

Bruna Reis

How much longer will Amorim be given? Nearly a year has passed since the Portuguese manager took charge, yet there has been little to suggest meaningful progress.

With all due respect to Brentford, this was a fixture where United should have approached the game with confidence and delivered a performance that showed signs of improvement. Instead, the same frustrations remain.

Week after week, supporters build up hope of seeing a sharper, more cohesive United side, only to be left disappointed once again. Fans deserve better.

Tom Doyle

Having signed Brentford's best player in the summer, a meek surrender in west London will be no great shock to any seasoned United fan. I like Amorim: he's honest, a hard worker, and he's done a lot of good in clearing out a toxic dressing room.

But the same problems still remain: the squad has zero mentality; confidence is shot; the forwards can't score; the goalkeepers can't save; defenders can't defend, and midfielders can't, well, midfield. Especially when they're not really midfielders - Bruno Fernandes, I'm looking at you.

Whether it's the system, the players, the coach or the club hierarchy, this experiment is not working for anyone. Amorim deserves better, quite frankly - but so do United.

Hands should be shaken, fond farewells made, and everybody should move on. Where United go from here is anyone's guess, but they need more flexibility in what is the world's toughest League to get results.

Kieran Horn

It is time to accept that Amorim is not the right man to be in charge of Manchester United, though it is hard to see anyone getting a tune out of what is a bang average squad.

Amorim is likeable and quite clear a good manager but it is fine to admit things are not working and that his drawbacks as are brutally exposed in this team. He has failed to adapt despite poor results and performances while also baffling with team selection decisions.

Not everything is Amorim's fault though and sooner rather than later the players need to take some accountability. On far too many occasions, this group have been bailed out by the blame falling at the feet of the individual in the dugout.

Unfortunately - in a season with no European football - there are minimal excuses for so many defeats already and so it is time to look elsewhere.

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