Manchester United have begun talks to replace Ruben Amorim as manager, after less than four months in the hot seat.
That's according to an incendiary new report, on the back of the Red Devils' Fifth Round exit from the FA Cup at the weekend at the hands of Fulham. Manchester United have won just 10 times in Amorim's first 24 league games as manager, plummetting to 14th in the table and with morale at an all-time low.
With Amorim's 3-4-2-1 formation not yet bearing fruit, questions have been raised over the the future of the team – and it appears that minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe has already started discussions over a contingency plan to change managers again over the summer.
Manchester United are looking to move on from Ruben Amorim already
Ranked at no.11 in FourFourTwo's list of the best managers in the world before taking over at United, Amorim started positively with four points from the first six available, when he left Sporting in November to take charge in the Premier League.
Things have gone south rather quickly, however. United won just one of their next five, with a saga over Marcus Rashford overshadowing matters on the pitch. Rashford, who scored over 100 goals for Manchester United, left in January along with Antony, who is the club's second-most expensive signing ever. Both attackers have been flourishing out on loan, however, while Amorim's star player so far, Amad Diallo, has been ruled out for the season with an ankle issue.
To compound matters, Ratcliffe is preparing more redundancies at the club, leaving the mood at Carrington lower than ever. Now, a fresh report from TEAMtalk claims that Barcelona legend Xavi Hernandez has been in touch with Ratcliffe over the manager's job in the summer.
Ranked at no.23 in FourFourTwo's list of the greatest players of all time, Xavi was a serial winner on the pitch, whose legendary footballing IQ translated to the dugout for his first full season as a coach back at Camp Nou. The highly decorated Cule delivered a league title with La Liga's meanest defence but has been out of work since failing to retain that crown.
With some pointing to Amorim's lack of experience at the top level, Xavi – who played in four World Cups for Spain – has apparently been in conversation with the Manchester United hierarchy over his plans, should he be appointed in the summer. TEAMtalk notes that the 45-year-old wants to bring Frenkie De Jong – a long-term Red Devils target – with him, as the Catalan looks to reshape the club in his image where the incumbent Amorim has failed to.
A report from Fichajes in Spain, meanwhile, has perhaps correlated the idea that Xavi might be imminent. The outlet writes that the club are looking toward La Masia graduate Marc Casado – recognised by FourFourTwo in our list of the best defensive midfielders in the world – as a player to build a new-look midfield around.
As it stands, FourFourTwo understands that Amorim's job is completely safe for now. The 20-time English champions aren't looking to make a change, despite poor results so far under the Portuguese – despite that, Xavi has been a name linked to the job ever since Ratcliffe took control of football operations, and he may well be in the frame for the role in the future, should things change.
While we can't refute that these discussions have taken place, it would be a massive surprise to see Amorim leave right now.
United take on Real Sociedad tomorrow night, as the Europa League knockouts commence before Premier League action returns to Manchester on Sunday with a clash against Arsenal.
Why aren't things working for United under Ruben Amorim?
There are plenty of reasons that Amorim hasn't got United anywhere close to the level that he showed capable of elevating a team to in Lisbon. Some of those reasons are beyond his control; others, he could be held a little more accountable for.
Once again, a spate of injuries has ravaged the camp, with the likes of Luke Shaw and Mason Mount virtually unavailable all term. His banishment of Rashford and Antony has been praised by some, though others have claimed he's made a rod for his own back by reducing his options further – and the pair's form away from Old Trafford has called into question whether Amorim took too hard a line and whether they could have been integrated into his plans in some way.
The mood around the club, meanwhile, has taken a huge nosedive, with ticket prices set to rise and staff redundancies hugely unpopular with fans. This hasn't helped Amorim: but then neither has his system.
The Portuguese's back three seems to suit the likes of Harry Maguire but the double-pivot in midfield has been woefully exposed at times, with the defeat to Newcastle United being one example. Amorim's high press has been poor at times, too, with the team as a whole struggling to step up and defend aggressively.
Part of that is down to the lack of athleticism in the backline, though it's undeniable at this stage that the manager is refusing to adapt his principles, and poor results are merely a consequence. There's a lot of talk of getting the right players in to fit this system, but United risk making the same mistake they made with Erik ten Hag, in buying a team too specifically tailored to one coach's principles.
Sporting thrived for a few reasons: the recruitment was a level above the rest of Portuguese football and the players were well-drilled in a straightforward set-up that played to their strengths. United's question long-term is whether Amorim can challenge for major honours under similar parameters in England. If not, a break might be the best thing for both parties.
