Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand delivers three-word verdict on Ruben Amorim's future

Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim looks on following his side's recent defeat against Crystal Palace
Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim looks on (Image credit: Getty Images)

Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has been at the club for three-and-a-half months and has so far been unable to bring any kind of new manager bounce to Old Trafford.

The 40-year-old replaced Erik ten Hag in November and has so far overseen 14 Premier League matches, winning just four, drawing twice and losing eight, with Manchester United sitting 15th in the Premier League table.

The Red Devils are on course for their worst season of the Premier League era, something the Portuguese appears to be well aware of, labelling this as ‘the worst team maybe in the history of Manchester United’ last month.

Rio Ferdinand gives Manchester United verdict after Ruben Amorim's poor start

Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand

Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand (Image credit: Getty Images)

This weekend’s 1-0 defeat to Tottenham saw Amorim admit he has ‘a lot of problems’, with the head coach admitting that the job is ‘so hard’.

His time in England so far comes as a stark contrast to the success he enjoyed with Sporting CP, where he won his second Primeira Liga title last season and was building a reputation as one of Europe’s most promising young coaches, with FourFourTwo ranking him as the 11th best manager in the world last year.

Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro of Manchester United show dejection, after Luis Diaz of Liverpool (not pictured) scores his team's second goal during the Premier League match between Manchester United FC and Liverpool FC at Old Trafford on September 01, 2024 in Manchester, England.

Manchester United have already lost 12 games this season (Image credit: Getty Images)

It was this progress that convinced the Old Trafford hierarchy that he was the right man to replace Ten Hag,

But after a stuttering start and further off-the-pitch moves at the club, including the departure of Dan Ashworth after just five months and reports of a further round of redundancies, questions are beginning to be asked about Amorim’s long-term future in the role.

These murmurings have got on the radar of former Red Devils defender Rio Ferdinand, who gave a blunt answer when asked on X if getting rid of Amorim would be the best option.

‘No - coach stays!”, was Ferdinand’s answer, as he gave Amorim his backing.

Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim is desperate to improve the left-hand side of his team

Ruben Amirom took over from Erik ten Hag in November (Image credit: Getty Images)

In FourFourTwo’s opinion, it’s easy to see why Amorim has struggled. The club’s injury list is biting hard, with eight teenagers being named on the bench at Spurs, while the playing squad Amorim has at his disposal simply does not match the expenditure that Manchester United have made in recent seasons.

Amorim should not pay the price for expensive mistakes that the Red Devils have made before he arrived and if the club are serious about getting their house in order, they cannot afford to keep constantly pivot in terms of the strategy and culture they are trying to build.

Joe Mewis

For more than a decade Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor, with stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others. He is the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team.